India to resume medical mission work in Afghanistan

Anil K Joseph
Kabul, Jul 20 (PTI) India is set to resume its much-
acclaimed medical mission work in Afghanistan which was scaled
down following the terror attack in Kabul early this year that
left nine Indians dead, senior officials said here Tuesday.
"There is no scaling back. We are in the process of
resuming full-fledged operations in Afghanistan," a senior
Indian official told PTI.
India launched the medical missions in Afghanistan in
2001-2002 and was operating five such missions in Kabul,
Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Mazar-e-Sharif.
Though the Mazar-e-Sharif medical mission is
functioning normally, the other four missions spread around
the war-torn Afghanistan were temporarily suspended, the
officials said.
The operation of the Indian medical mission at Kabul
was suspended temporarily as the required staff and security
was not available after the February 26 coordinated suicide
attacks by Taliban at two hotels in Kabul that killed nine
Indians, including two Major rank Army officers.
Of the 11-member medical team, one of the six doctors
was killed in the attack and others injured.
The medical missions in Kabul and Kandahar are
expected to resume full-fledged operations soon, the sources
said.
"We are putting in extra security measures to ensure
that our operations are not hampered in future," an Indian
embassy official here said.
The Indian medical mission in Afghanistan has treated
over 3 lakh patients, mostly women and children so far. The
patients were given free treatment as well as medicines.
During India's External Affairs Minister S M Krishna's
talks with Afghan National Security Advisor Rangin Dadfar
Spanta here Monday, the issue of security for Indian nationals
working in the country figured prominently.
Krishna sensitised the Afghan government on the Indian
government's concern over security for its nationals in
Afghanistan and sought adequate security for them.
Spanta assured Krishna that the Afghan government
would take whatever steps it could to ensure that the "Indian
guests" who have been doing impressive work in Afghanistan
would be given adequate protection.
Nine years after US-led troops toppled their
government, the Taliban have made a comeback and have
inflicted heavy losses on foreign forces and has attacked
foreign aid workers in the country.
The Taliban have repeatedly turned down past peace
overtures from the Afghan government, saying they group will
engage in peace talks only when all of the 140,000 foreign
troops leave Afghanistan. PTI