Kabul : Around 150 Indians were picked by Taliban troops Saturday morning , questioned and later released. All are safe and have reached Kabul airport once again waiting to be air-lifted out of the country.
The accosting happened as these citizens were waiting for evacuation flights to India and cops asked they to come for questioning nearby police station. The incident was initially reported as abduction and raised concerns for Indians at airport. The claim was later corrected in a tweet by a Kabul-based reporter for The New York Times.
India has evacuated all of its embassy staff but an estimated 1000 citizens remain to be flown out and are scattered across locations in multiple Afghan cities. Ascertaining their whereabouts is proving to be a challenge under current conditions, the Home Ministry said.
Meanwhile, Taliban is trying hard to project a more tolerant image of itself. It released a video of a Gurudwara head saying, he had been assured of safety for roughly 200 Sikhs and Hindus lodged there. Separately, the Taliban’s office also sent messages to Delhi urging against evacuation of embassy staff, saying India had nothing to fear for its citizens.
