An Afghan employee of the Indian consulate in Jalalabad was injured in an attack on Tuesday when unidentified assailants opened fire on his vehicle. The incident has raised concerns about the safety of local staff members working for Indian diplomatic missions in Afghanistan.
The Indian consulate in Jalalabad was shut down in 2020, prior to the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021. Despite the closure, India has maintained a small number of local staff members at the consulate. Sources, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the staff member involved in the attack sustained minor injuries.
While the exact details of the incident remain unclear, local reports suggest that the driver of the vehicle was killed in the attack, with another individual also injured. The identity of the attackers remains unknown, and no group has claimed responsibility for the assault. The Taliban, which currently controls Afghanistan, has not commented on the incident.
The Afghan staff member, identified as Wadood Khan, is reportedly a translator who had fled Afghanistan after the Taliban’s rise to power but later returned and resumed work at the consulate. The attack took place at a roundabout in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, marking what is believed to be the first assault on an Afghan national connected to a diplomatic mission in the country.
Following the fall of the Ashraf Ghani government in 2021, India closed its embassy in Kabul along with three other consulates and withdrew its diplomats. However, India reestablished a minimal diplomatic presence in Afghanistan in June 2022, sending a technical team to Kabul, although the consulates remain closed.
India has not recognized the Taliban regime but continues to engage with its leaders, emphasizing that its relationship with Afghanistan is driven by the best interests of the Afghan people.
