NEW DELHI: By mid-August, with the fall of Kabul, the Afghan national army had collapsed. His officers and soldiers trained in India, who are now on the firing range when the Taliban take over, said the distrust of army personnel and their association with India has put them at extreme risk. .
They have asked for help from India. “It is our great hope,” one of them from Kabul said on Monday.
“When the Taliban attacked, they had our biometric (army) blocks. They forced people to put their fingers on the block and all the information appeared instantly. It was scary,” Lieutenant Amir said. renamed), 26, who graduated from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun in 2018. Meanwhile, news came that four members of the Afghan army had been killed in Karte Naw ( in Kabul) … Our address was also registered with the government and the army. So we left. We have been in hiding for over a week. ”
‘Then the soldiers will not forgive me if they know I am from IMA ‘
Many like Amir are walled in from all sides: the Taliban distrust army personnel and Pakistani agents from those with ties to India.
“When the Taliban entered Kabul, we received orders that no one would fight them … The Taliban searched the homes of military officers and seized their weapons and vehicles. They killed at random. I tried to reach the Taliban. ‘airport one day, but they hit me I hid at home again,’ a second Afghan army officer, who graduated from the IMA the same year, told TOI.
Another Afghan official sent a text message to this correspondent saying, “I used to track down military convoys before the Taliban captured Afghanistan. When I see Pakistani malisha (militia) and fuagi (soldiers), I know they will not forgive me if they know that I graduated from the IMA (sic).). ”A fourth, also an IMA alumnus, said,“ Soldiers who trained in India are at risk because the Pakistani army has problems with us. “.
Help is yet to come. A lieutenant who was part of the IMA 2018 group said his wife worked with the Indian embassy in Kabul for more than five years. He said they called for help from the foreign ministry and the Indian army.
“We have no answer. The families of our liaison officers from all Indian academies are trapped in Kabul. So they cannot help us right now. I ask the Indian government to help us,” he said. “I keep changing places every day,” his groupmate said.
“I know so many people (soldiers) who were trained in the US, Australia and Germany. The countries helped the officers get out of Afghanistan. We have more confidence in India than anyone,” one official said.
Defense expert Maroof Raza said Afghan officials who graduated from India “must have patience.” “The Indian government has not yet clarified its position on the Taliban.”
They have asked for help from India. “It is our great hope,” one of them from Kabul said on Monday.
“When the Taliban attacked, they had our biometric (army) blocks. They forced people to put their fingers on the block and all the information appeared instantly. It was scary,” Lieutenant Amir said. renamed), 26, who graduated from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun in 2018. Meanwhile, news came that four members of the Afghan army had been killed in Karte Naw ( in Kabul) … Our address was also registered with the government and the army. So we left. We have been in hiding for over a week. ”
‘Then the soldiers will not forgive me if they know I am from IMA ‘
Many like Amir are walled in from all sides: the Taliban distrust army personnel and Pakistani agents from those with ties to India.
“When the Taliban entered Kabul, we received orders that no one would fight them … The Taliban searched the homes of military officers and seized their weapons and vehicles. They killed at random. I tried to reach the Taliban. ‘airport one day, but they hit me I hid at home again,’ a second Afghan army officer, who graduated from the IMA the same year, told TOI.
Another Afghan official sent a text message to this correspondent saying, “I used to track down military convoys before the Taliban captured Afghanistan. When I see Pakistani malisha (militia) and fuagi (soldiers), I know they will not forgive me if they know that I graduated from the IMA (sic).). ”A fourth, also an IMA alumnus, said,“ Soldiers who trained in India are at risk because the Pakistani army has problems with us. “.
Help is yet to come. A lieutenant who was part of the IMA 2018 group said his wife worked with the Indian embassy in Kabul for more than five years. He said they called for help from the foreign ministry and the Indian army.
“We have no answer. The families of our liaison officers from all Indian academies are trapped in Kabul. So they cannot help us right now. I ask the Indian government to help us,” he said. “I keep changing places every day,” his groupmate said.
“I know so many people (soldiers) who were trained in the US, Australia and Germany. The countries helped the officers get out of Afghanistan. We have more confidence in India than anyone,” one official said.
Defense expert Maroof Raza said Afghan officials who graduated from India “must have patience.” “The Indian government has not yet clarified its position on the Taliban.”