Dense fog covers Delhi as it shivers at 7.6 deg C
A thick layer of fog engulfed the national capital on Wednesday as it woke to a chilly morning with the weather department recording the minimum temperature at 7.6 degrees Celsius.
An Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft has departed from Kabul with 24 Indian and 11 Nepalese evacuees, said the External Affairs Ministry (MEA) on Thursday.
The flight will land at the Hindon airport here.
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“Op Devi Shakti in action! @IAF_MCC flight with 24 Indian and 11 Nepalese evacuees from Kabul is on its way to Delhi,” MEA spokesperson, Arindam Baghchi said on social media.
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The rescue efforts from war torn Afghanistan have been named as Ops Devi Shakti by the government, which was announced by the External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishanakar on 24 August.
He has also commended the “vital” role being played by the IAF and other commercial flights including government owned Air India and MEA officials.
India has continued the rescue operations from Kabul as well as from the neighbouring countries like Qatar, Doha and Tajikistan.
So far, it has evacuated over 800 people from Afghanistan which include some eminent Afghan nationals and two Members of Parliament from Sikh community.
These evacuees have been brought to New Delhi via various routes such as Doha in Qatar, Dushanbe in Tajikistan and other neighbouring countries in special flights of Air India and some private carrier too.
Indian authorities are in touch with its missions in Tajikistan and Qatar to facilitate the evacuations and asked them to provide all support such as transport, stay and other necessary assistance.
“Coordinating the Indian workers scattered in many provinces of Afghanistan and taking them to nearby countries has become a major challenge because of the threats from the Afghan militia,” an official who is privy to these developments said.
“The US authorities have taken full control of the airport and they are managing the air operation from the war-torn country. Amid huge rush, charting out a slot for an aircraft and also a safe air route for the evacuation flight, have become major challenges for US authority,” the official added.
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