Govt. confirms temporary suspension of Indian Medical Mission work in Afghanistan

New Delhi, March 6 (ANI): The Government on Saturday confirmed that the Indian Medical Mission work in Afghanistan has been temporarily suspended.

Replying to a query on reports that after the terrorist attack in Kabul on February 26, the work of the Indian Medical Missions (IMMs) in Afghanistan has been suspended, MEA official spokesperson Vishnu Prakash, said: "IMMs in Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Mazar-e-Sharif were functioning normally. In the aftermath of the terrorist attack targeting the IMM in Kabul, in which one doctor was killed and others injured, the work of the IMM has been temporarily suspended. The Embassy of India and its other offices in Afghanistan continue to function normally in the face of extremely demanding and difficult circumstances."

Nine Indians, including government officials, were among 17 people killed as Taliban suicide bombers carried out a string of attacks in the heart of Kabul in yet another incident targeting Indian interests in Afghanistan.

The deceased Indians included government officials, an ITBP constable and a tabla player who was part of a cultural delegation to Afghanistan.

Embassy staffers from consulates in Herat and Kandahar and a member of a medical mission were also among those who died and 12 people were also injured.

The bombers struck at a number of guest houses, particularly at Park Residence, rented out by the Indian embassy for its staffers and those linked to India's developmental work in Afghanistan. (ANI)