'Operation Devi Shakti': India evacuates more than 800 people from Afghanistan

Aug 24,2021

India on Tuesday gave a name to its operation to evacuate its citizens from war-torn Afghanistan. External affairs minister S Jaishankar called it 'Operation Devi Shakti' and saluted the efforts of Indian Air Force and Air India.

"Op Devi Shakti continues. 78 evacuees from Kabul arrive via Dushanbe. Salute @IAF_MCC, @AirIndiain and #TeamMEA for their untiring efforts," Jaishankar tweeted.

His tweet came hours after 78 people, including 25 Indian nationals, were brought to New Delhi from Tajikistan's Dushanbe in a special Air India flight on Tuesday. They were flown out of Taliban-controlled Kabul to Dushanbe in an aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) a day before.

Three copies (swaroop) of the Sikh sacred scripture Guru Granth Sahib was also brought back, which were received by Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri. He expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for carrying out rescue operations from Afghanistan and said the government is in constant touch with the remaining people over there.

"I want to start by thanking Prime Minister who made it possible to carry out these rescue operations to bring our brethren who are in difficult circumstances there (Afghanistan)," said Puri.

"I want to compliment the Ministry of External Affairs, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan for having implemented this," he added.

On Monday, India evacuated 75 Sikhs amid the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.

India has so far evacuated more than 800 people since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan. Nearly 200 more Afghan Sikhs and Hindus are still stranded in Afghanistan. These people have taken shelter at the Karte Parwan gurdwara in Kabul, which is close to the airport, according to Puneet Singh Chandhok, president of the Indian World Forum which has been coordinating the evacuation efforts with the Ministry of External Affairs and the IAF.

Thousands of Afghans have been crowding around the Kabul airport for nearly a week in a desperate attempt to flee the country fearing the Taliban's brutality.

India is carrying out the evacuation missions in coordination with the US and several other countries.