Kabul attack: Foreign Secy,Indians safe

Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai reached the Afghan capital for a three-day visit.

Hours before Taliban fighters launched an assault on the US embassy in Kabul,Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai reached the Afghan capital for a three-day visit. This is his first visit to Afghanistan since he took over on August 1. Mathai,sources said,was safe and was carrying out his scheduled meetings with top government functionaries in Kabul. He is accompanied by senior officials and is expected to return to Delhi on Thursday.

Sources refused to divulge details of his visit,including his itinerary,citing security concerns. All we can say is that he is safe,and his schedule is being followed, an Indian official said.

The Indian embassy spokesperson told The Indian Express: There have been multiple attacks in Kabul… but all Indians are safe. These attacks are not targeted towards Indian interests.

The Indian embassy has also put in place a security drill in the context of these attacks,at the embassy in Kabul and consulates in Herat,Jalalabad,Mazhar-e-Sharif and Kandahar. Also,the Indian community,which is engaged in various development and reconstruction projects,has been asked to restrict their movements,the spokesperson said.

In Delhi,MEA spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said these attacks were not targeted towards Indian interests,and safety and precautionary measures have been put in place for the Indian mission in Afghanistan.

The Indian diplomats in Afghanistan move around in bullet-proof vehicles,and the embassy and consulates are heavily-guarded by about 200 ITBP personnel. The government has asked ITBP to ensure maximum security for the Indian missions.

The Indian embassy has been attacked four times in the last three years,and the attacks have claimed lives of Indian diplomats,Army officers and medical personnel. On February 26,2010,two hotels in Kabul where Indians were engaged in developmental and reconstruction works were targeted by terrorists. Two Major-rank officers of the Army were among the six Indians killed. The attack was the fourth on Indian interests in Afghanistan since July 2008 when a car laden with 100 kg of explosives was blown up at the gate of the embassy,killing 60 people,including four Indians a Brigadier-rank officer,a senior IFS officer and two ITBP personnel. In October 2009,terrorists struck again at the embassy,carrying out a car bomb explosion near its outer wall and killing 17 people. In December 2009,a hotel housing staff of an Indian IT company was targeted.