Around 50 diplomats and other staff members at the Indian consulate in Afghanistan's Kandahar have been evacuated due to "intense fighting near Kandahar city".
The External Affairs Ministry in a statement has said, India is closely monitoring the evolving security situation in Afghanistan and the safety and security of our personnel is paramount.
The govt said, the Consulate General of India in Kandahar has not been closed. However, due to the intense fighting near Kandahar city, India-based personnel have been brought back for the time being.
On Tuesday, the govt said, the Indian embassy in Kabul had no plans to shut down, and the consulates in Kandahar or Mazar-e-Sharif will also remain open. The consulates in Herat and Jalalabad were closed last year in April amid the pandemic.
Over the last few weeks, Afghanistan witnessed a surge in the number of terror attacks as the United States looks to complete the withdrawal of its troops by the end of August.
The Indian embassy has asked all Indians visiting, staying and working in Afghanistan to exercise the utmost caution and avoid all non-essential travel in the country.