Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar has hailed Operation Sankat Mochan -- initiated to evacuate Indians from South Sudan, which has been rocked by violence that has claimed hundreds of lives.

The actor, who had earlier urged External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for speedy evacuation of Indians from South Sudan, tweeted: "Congratulations on the success of Operation Sankat Mochan undertaken to evacuate Indians from war-torn South Sudan Sushma Swaraj Gen VK Singh."

A total of 156 Indian nationals, including 46 from Kerala, were brought back to India from violence-hit South Sudan on Friday on board a special IAF plane as part of 'Operation Sankat Mochan'. Sushma Swaraj and Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh led the operation.

Earlier, the "Airlift" star had expressed his concerns for the Indians stuck on the foreign shores in a tweet: `Sushma Swaraj Ma'am request for speedy measures and actions to evacuate Indians stranded in Sudan. Prayers with them.`

She responded then with a post `Akshay Kumar ji - Pl do not worry. We are evacuating Indian nationals from Juba (South Sudan).`

The issue is close to Akshay's heart as he had starred in "Airlift" -- a film on the evacuation of Indians from Kuwait during Iraq's invasion of that country in 1990.