Taliban ‘ransacked’ two Indian missions, searched closets, took away cars

The Taliban entered at least two of India's consulates in Afghanistan on Wednesday, searched for documents and took away parked cars, government sources said, expressing concern that the group was acting against assurances its leaders have been giving to the world

Aug 20, 2021
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Taliban ‘ransacked’ two Indian missions

The Taliban entered at least two of India's consulates in Afghanistan on Wednesday, searched for documents and took away parked cars, government sources said, expressing concern that the group was acting against assurances its leaders have been giving to the world.

Members of the Taliban "ransacked" the Indian consulates in Kandahar and Herat, which are closed, according to the sources. They "searched closets" in Kandahar for papers and took away vehicles parked at both the consulates.

"We expected this. They ransacked the place searched documents and also took away our parked vehicles from both consulates," a senior official told NDTV.

Days before the raid, the Taliban had reached out to Delhi, saying that did not want India to evacuate diplomats from its Kabul embassy. Sources say the government had received messages from the group's Qatar office assuring them of the safety of Indian staff and security personnel.

The messages - sent from the office of Abbas Stanikzai, the chief of the Taliban's political unit - were routed via contacts in Kabul and Delhi.

Earlier this week, India carried out a difficult evacuation of its embassy staff in two Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft that flew out of Kabul. India's ambassador to Afghanistan was also brought back as diplomats and civilians scrambled to get out of the country after the Taliban's takeover. But over 1,000 Indian nationals are still stuck across Afghanistan.

India operated four consulates in the country, besides the embassy in Kabul. Apart from Kandahar and Herat, India also had a consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif, which was shut down days before the Taliban took control. The embassy in Kabul is not officially shut; it is operating with local help.

New Delhi is also concerned about the support the group is getting from various terror organisations.

Government's intelligence sources reveal the Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has released a statement on the Taliban victory, "praising and congratulating the group on its emancipation in Afghanistan". Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham  in Syria also released an official statement in support of the Taliban. "The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) based in western China has also issued a statement congratulating the Taliban. Events are unfolding at a very high pace - we are keeping a watch," a senior government source told NDTV.

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