Jaishankar underlines urgency of restoring Kabul airport operations in talks with Blinken
New Delhi/New York : External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said he had discussed the Afghanistan situation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and underlined the urgency of restoring airport operations in Kabul, which were suspended on Monday.
“Discussed latest developments in Afghanistan with @SecBlinken. Underlined the urgency of restoring airport operations in Kabul. Deeply appreciate the American efforts underway in this regard,” Jaishankar tweeted from New York, where he has gone to participate in the UN Security Council high- level events, with India holding the month-long presidency.
Commercial operations in Kabul airport were suspended after multitudes of people thronged the airport seeking to leave the country after the Taliban captured Kabul and toppled the government of Ashraf Ghani.
The US Air Force and US Marines are at Kabul airport to fly back their people out of Afghanistan.
In a separate tweet, he said that he would discuss the developments in Afghanistan during his engagements in the UN.
“Significant UN Security Council discussions today on developments in Afghanistan. Expressed the concerns of the international community. Expect to discuss these during my engagements at the UN,” the EAM posted.
An emergency session on Afghanistan was held at the UNSC on Monday that saw the world body urge for an immediate cessation of violence there and to ensure human rights and international humanitarian law for the people.
On Monday, chaotic scenes were witnessed at Kabul airport, with hundreds of people following a moving US Air Force C-17 on the tarmac, with some trying to clamber on board, in a desperate attempt to leave the country. Three people who climbed on to the landing gear, later fell to their deaths as the plane took to the skies.
