NEW DELHI: A special flight from the Indian Air Force (IAF) Saturday morning evacuated over 85 Indian nationals from Afghanistan, a local news agency report said.

“An Indian Air Force C-130J transport aircraft took off from Kabul with over 85 Indians. The aircraft landed in Tajikistan for refuelling. Indian government officials are helping in evacuation of Indian citizens on the ground in Kabul,” said Asian News International (ANI), a news agency based in New Delhi. 

Reports said another IAF plane — a C-17 transport — is on standby to fly to Kabul to bring home more Indian citizens. 

“That aircraft is expected to take off as soon as enough Indian nationals are able to move to the city’s airport — access to which has been compromised by Taliban check posts,” the report said. 

Two IAF C-17s flew into Kabul on Aug. 15 to evacuate the Indian embassy personnel, including security personnel tasked with guarding them. 

Officials said the Indian government was working closely with the United States, whose forces control interior sections of the Kabul airport, to facilitate the return of its stranded citizens. 

The Taliban took over Kabul on Sunday after President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani fled the country.–Xinhua

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