India evacuates 104 people from Afghanistan in special aircraft

New Delhi, Dec 10: The Indian government on Friday evacuated 104 people, including 10 Indian nationals, from Kabul in a special charter aircraft, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, stating that the flight was arranged under India's operation Devi Shakti.

The operation was launched to evacuate Indians from Afghanistan after it fell to the Taliban on August 15. "Under Operation Devi Shakti, a special Kam Air flight arranged by India has arrived in New Delhi from Kabul," Bagchi tweeted.

"It has brought 10 Indians and 94 Afghans including members of the Afghan Hindu-Sikh minority community. Among the evacuees are 9 children, including 3 infants," he said. The flight is likely to fly back over 90 Afghan nationals stranded in India along with some medical supplies, officials said.

Also, the three copies of the Guru Granth Sahib and Hindu religious texts from the ancient Asamai Mandir in Kabul have been brought to India. It is reported that both the Indian government and the Afghan embassy in Delhi arrange the flight in coordination.

Puneet Singh Chandhok, president of Indian World Forum, in a statement earlier, said it's a matter of pride that the "three holy Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji from historical Gurdwaras in Afghanistan and Hindu religious scriptures, including Ramanaya, Mahabharat and Bhagavad Gita," from the fifth century Asamai Mandir in Kabul are being brought to Delhi.

After two-decade of war against "terrorism," the US withdrew its troops from Afghanistan following which the Taliban returned to power as the then President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.