India mulls scaling down Afghan mission operations

India is looking at various options including paring down of the operations of its missions  in Afghanistan in the wake of terror attacks on Indians there.

The government is also planning to put all the Indians working in projects like power and road together to ensure their safety, reliable government sources said on Wednesday. This follows an assessment made by National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon's visit to Kabul last week in the wake of terror attack on Feb 26 on guest houses frequented by Indians in which seven Indians were killed.

Apart from the embassy in Kabul, Indian has consulates in Herat, Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad.

The sources said that an advisory may also be issued asking all Indians now now in Afghanistan to return home.They recalled that the operations of the Indian medical mission has already been put on hold after the Feb 26 attack in which the hand of Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Tayaiba operatives is suspected.

Taliban  terrorists, with backing from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence,  had targeted the Indian embassy twice in the past.  On July 7, 2008, 60 people, including four Indians--one Indian Foreign Service official and a brigadier-ranked official were killed in the attack, while on Oct 82009, four Indo-Tibetan Border Police jawans were among those injured.