About 150 Indian nationals have been released by the Taliban and currently are at Kabul airport. They will be airlifted soon. It was reported in the morning that the Taliban have picked up 150 Indian citizens.

Earlier, some news outlets in Kabul claimed the Taliban had abducted over 150 people, including Indians. The Taliban rejected that claim.

Indian citizens waiting outside Kabul airport for evacuation flights were taken to a nearby police station for questioning and checking of travel documents, a top government source said, amid worrying reports from local media that they had been abducted.

The Taliban's 'picking up' of Indian citizens comes hours after an Air Force transport aircraft managed to evacuate around 85 Indians from Kabul; the plane has landed safely in Tajikistan, sources said, adding that a second aircraft is on standby in India.

Sources this morning said the government is trying to bring as many Indians as possible into the airport at Kabul to keep them safe while it works out the evacuation logistics.