With the Taliban rebels entering Kabul on Sunday, India is deciding on evacuation of its diplomatic personnel from the Afghan capital to ensure their safety, sources have said.

“ India is closely monitoring the fast-changing situation in Afghanistan to decide on the evacuation of diplomatic personnel from Kabul,” sources told BusinessLine .

It is being widely reported that Afghan president Ashraf Ghani is likely to resign soon and hand over power to the Taliban. US-based professor Ali Ahmad Jalali, former interior minister of the country, may head the interim government in Afghanistan, per reports.

“India is understandably concerned about the safety of its people in Kabul as the Taliban is expected to take over control any time. Whenever it seems appropriate, evacuations will take place,” the source added.

Power would be handed over to a transitional administration and there won’t be an attack on the city, the government’s acting interior minister, Abdul Sattar Mirzakawal, said in a tweet on a local news channel.

‘Expediting evacuation’

Many countries, including the US and Sweden, on Sunday, speeded up the process of evacuating their diplomatic staff. With most US troops leaving Afghanistan in July 2021 following a decision taken by the Biden administration to withdraw its forces from the country, the Taliban has been taking control over most key cities in the country.

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