Afghanistan crisis live updates: Ghani vows to return, ensure 'justice' for Afghans in 1st address since fleeing

Indian embassy officials in Kabul, including the ambassador, are being evacuated from the Afghan capital, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry in New Delhi said on Tuesday. "In view of the prevailing circumstances, it has been decided that our ambassador in Kabul and his Indian staff will move to India immediately," spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Twitter.

The UNSC on Monday called for the establishment through inclusive negotiations of a new, united, inclusive and representative government in Afghanistan with full women participation as it reaffirmed the need to ensure that the Taliban or any other Afghan group should not support terrorists operating on the territory of any other country.

India called for “zero tolerance” to terrorism by the Taliban dispensation in Afghanistan saying that in the middle of challenges there were “few opportunities”. Addressing an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Monday evening, India’s ambassador T S Tirumurti said, “The current situation prevailing in the country is of great concern to us in India.”

Describing the security situation in Kabul as having deteriorated significantly, and one changing rapidly, the Centre on Monday said it would stand by Afghans, who had been India’s partners in the promotion of “mutual developmental, educational and people-to-people endeavour’’. The statement is important keeping in mind a spurt in the number of Afghans queuing up in the past few weeks for Indian visas, fearing the worst from a vengeful Taliban, and is in addition to India’s promise to look out for Hindu and Sikh minorities who might want to seek refuge here.

Thousands of people desperate to flee Afghanistan thronged Kabul's airport on Monday after the Taliban seized the capital, prompting the United States to pause evacuations, as President Joe Biden confronted mounting criticism over the US withdrawal. Chaotic scenes at the airport included a group clinging to a US military transport plane as it taxied on the single runway. One person appeared to fall from the plane during takeoff, according to television footage. US troops fired in the air to deter people trying to force their way on to a military flight evacuating U.S diplomats and embassy staff, a US official said.

Afghanistan airspace has been shut for commercial flights to, from and over the country starting Monday (Aug 16) morning (India time), leaving several Indians waiting to return home on Air India stranded in Kabul and forcing airlines to take longer routes while flying between India and the west from now on. Only military aircraft can now fly to and from Kabul, the only guarded airport in the country, till this restriction remains.

An Afghan journalist broke down during a press briefing of the Pentagon when he asked the whereabouts of President Ashraf Ghani who fled as Taliban closed in on Kabul, saying 'where is my president, he has to answer people.' During a press briefing by Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby, Afghan journalist Nazira Karimi said everybody is upset especially, women with recent developments in Afghanistan. "As you know, I'm from Afghanistan, I'm very upset today, because Afghan women didn't expect that overnight all the Taliban came. They took off my flag. This is my flag. They put their flag. Everybody's upset, especially women," the reporter told Kirby, pointing to the Afghan flag on her face mask.