Taliban Kidnap Many Indians Outside Kabul Airport: Afghan Media

A US Marine escorts evacuees at Kabul airport (Pic Credit: Al Jazeera)

New Delhi: Taliban fighters have abducted around 150 people, including many Indians, from outside the gates of Kabul airport, according to reports in Afghan media on Saturday.

The Taliban, however, have rejected the claim.

In Delhi, government sources said the Foreign Ministry was trying to confirm the development.

The reported abduction comes hours after an Indian Air Force (IAF) C-130J transport aircraft managed to evacuate around 85 Indians from Kabul.

The plane has landed safely in Dushanbe in Tajikistan, sources said, adding that a second larger aircraft was on standby for further evacuations.

Also Read: Mission Kabul: Air Force Aircraft Ready To Bring Back Stranded Indians

On Saturday morning, sources had said that the government was trying to bring as many Indians as possible into Kabul airport to keep them safe while it worked out the evacuation logistics.

India has evacuated all embassy staff but an estimated 1,000 citizens remain in several cities in the war-torn country. These include around 200 Sikhs and Hindus, who have taken refuge at a gurudwara in Kabul.