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Kabul: Indian Air Force flight carrying 168 evacuees departs for Delhi

Kabul - Several in Afghanistan are rushing to leave the country after the Taliban seized control

An Indian Air Force (IAF) special repatriation flight from Kabul with 168 evacuees, including 107 Indian nationals, is on its way to New Delhi, confirmed India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday.

The flight will land at the Hindon IAF base in Ghaziabad later today, according to government sources.

"Evacuation continues! IAF special repatriation flight with 168 passengers onboard, including 107 Indian nationals, is on its way to Delhi from Kabul," tweeted MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

India has been allowed to operate two flights per day from Kabul to evacuate its nationals stranded in Afghanistan, government sources told ANI.

The permission was granted by American and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces, which have been controlling operations of the Hamid Karzai International Airport after the Afghan capital fell to the Taliban on August 15.

People in Afghanistan have been rushing to leave the country after the Taliban seized control last week. On August 15, the country's government fell soon after President Ashraf Ghani left the country.

Countries have been urgently evacuating their citizens from the war-torn nation. The Kabul airport is witnessing heavy chaos nowadays due to instability in the region.

The MEA has said the government is committed to the safe return of all Indian nationals from Afghanistan. The MEA said that the main challenge for travel to and from Afghanistan is the operational status of the Kabul airport.

• MENA