ITBP to guard Indian diplomatic staff in Afghanistan till required

An armed contingent of paramilitary force ITBP is "actively" securing the diplomatic staff of the Indian embassy in Afghanistan's capital Kabul and will be there "till required", officials said

An armed contingent of paramilitary force Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is "actively" securing the diplomatic staff of the Indian embassy in Afghanistan's capital Kabul and will be there "till required", officials said on Monday as the Taliban took over the country.

The officials said the force personnel are among the last of the diplomatic staff of the embassy who are present in the country.

The security unit of the ITBP is actively securing the embassy staffers. They will carry out their duties till it is required, the officials said.

They refused to divulge the strength of the people and the armed security personnel owing to the sensitivity of the fast-changing situation in Afghanistan.

The ITBP was first deployed to secure the premises of the India embassy in Kabul, diplomats and staffers in November, 2002.

It later sent additional detachments to guard the Indian consulates located in Jalalabad, Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat.

The contingents from the consulates have already been withdrawn after the consulates were shut recently due to the current crisis in the war-ravaged country and also due to a negligible footfall as the coronavirus pandemic gripped the globe.

In its first reaction to the developments in Afghanistan, India on Monday said it is constantly monitoring the situation and will take all steps to ensure the safety and security of its nationals as well as its interests in that country.

"The situation in Afghanistan is being monitored on a constant basis at high levels. The government will take all steps to ensure the safety and security of Indian nationals and our interests in Afghanistan," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

Capping its month-long rapid advances, the Taliban took positions in Kabul on Sunday evening, hours after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left for an unknown destination, paving the way for the takeover of the capital as well as the country.

"The security situation in Kabul has deteriorated significantly in the last few days. It is changing rapidly even as we speak," Bagchi said.