India has asked its citizens in Afghanistan to leave the country by a special flight which is scheduled to take off today evening from Mazar-e-Sharif. According to the Consulate General of India in Mazar-e-Sharif, a special flight will be leaving from Mazar-e-Sharif to New Delhi. It said that Indian citizens who want to leave by the special flight should submit the details like their full name and passport number to the consulate immediately.
"Any Indian nationals in and around Mazar-e-Sharif are requested to leave for India in the special flight scheduled to depart late today evening," it tweeted.
"Indian citizens desiring to leave by special flight should immediately convey their full name, passport number, date of expiry by WhatsApp at the following numbers: 0785891303, 0785891301," it said in another tweet.
Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, is the largest city in the north and is considered to be an area controlled by the government. It is the fourth-largest city in the landlocked country. The city also serves as one of the many tourist attractions.
Since the announcement of the withdrawal of US forces by August 31, violence has been rising in Afghanistan and efforts to broker a peace settlement between the Afghan government and insurgent Taliban have slowed. With Taliban attacks increasing, Afghan security forces and government troops have retaliated with airstrikes aided by the United States.
Earlier on Monday, the Taliban said that they had turned their sights on Mazar-e-Sharif by launching a four-pronged attack on the city. They have already captured Sheberghan to its west and Kunduz and Taloqan in the east.
Last month India pulled out around 50 diplomats and security personnel from its consulate in Kandahar following intense clashes between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters around the city. A special aircraft of the Indian Air Force was sent to bring back the Indian diplomats, officials and other staff members including a group of Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel.
According to government data, around 1,500 Indians are currently staying in Afghanistan.
READ MORE: Afghanistan: Taliban press on, seize another provincial capital
READ MORE: Taliban takes key northern Afghanistan's Kunduz province as battles rage on
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