Officials said AI-243 departed from Delhi at around 12.45 PM (Indian Standard Time) and had to hover for around one hour above the Kabul airport as it did not get permission to land from the air traffic control (ATC). They stated it was not clear what was the reason for the delay in the permission for landing of AI-243.
Reports say that Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has left it on the political leadership of the country to solve the current crisis as Taliban advances in Kabul.
The Indian government is keeping a close watch as the situation in Kabul is unfolding in the blink of an eye. This comes as the Taliban have seized almost full control in Kabul, awaiting transfer of power from President Ashraf Ghani, who sources say has left the country for Tajikistan.
Specifically asked when the Indian staffers and citizens in Kabul will be evacuated, they said decisions will depend on the ground situation. It is learnt that a fleet of the C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force is kept on standby to undertake evacuation missions.
The Taliban have captured a large, heavily defended city in northern Afghanistan in a major setback for the government, and the insurgents are approaching the capital less than three weeks before the US hopes to complete its troop withdrawal.
The insurgents have captured much of northern, western and southern Afghanistan in a breakneck offensive less than three weeks before the U.S. is set to withdraw its last troops, raising fears of a full militant takeover or another Afghan civil war.
For now, commercial flights continue at the airport. Air India, Dubai-based carriers Emirates and FlyDubai, Pakistan International Airlines and Turkish Airlines all either have flights en route or planned to Kabul for the next days. Local Afghan airlines continue to fly as well.
The Taliban completed their sweep of Afghanistan's south on Friday, taking four more provincial capitals in a lightning offensive that brought them closer to Kabul just weeks before the US is set to officially end its two-decade war.
Homa Ahmadi, a lawmaker from Logar, says the Taliban control the entire province, including its capital, and reached a district in the neighboring Kabul province on Saturday.
The Taliban completed their sweep of Afghanistan's south on Friday, taking four more provincial capitals in a lightning offensive that brought them closer to Kabul just weeks before the US is set to officially end its two-decade war.
He said that the insurgent group is trying to isolate Kabul, while noting the capital city currently is not "in an imminent threat environment", Xinhua news agency reported.
Representatives from US and Qatar, the UN, China, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, the UK, the EU, Germany, India, Norway, Tajikistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan joined a regional conclave on Thursday to discuss ways to contain the escalating security situation in Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Interior Affairs said that the Guv along with his deputy and chief of staff have been arrested and disarmed in Wardak province, according to media reports.
The seizure of Kandahar and Herat marks the biggest prizes yet for the Taliban, who have taken 12 of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial capitals as part of a week-long blitz.
While Kabul itself isn't directly under threat yet, the losses and the battles elsewhere further tighten the grip of a resurgent Taliban estimated to now hold some two-thirds of the nation.
The Taliban managed to collapse nine provinces only in six days which shows the speed of their territorial gains.
"The Taliban took control of the key areas of the city- the governor's office, the police headquarters and the prison," AFP reported quoting Nasir Ahmad Faqiri, head of the provincial council.
While the capital of Kabul itself has not been directly threatened in the advance, the stunning speed of the offensive raises questions of how long the Afghan government can maintain control of its countryside.
A Taliban spokesperson on Twitter also claimed the capture of the city, the capital of Baghlan province. Images on social media showed the Taliban's flag at city gates and insurgent fighters inside the city.
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.
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