Taliban Takes Over Kabul, President Ashraf Ghani Flees Afghanistan

Taliban fighters stand guard in Kunduz city, northern Afghanistan on Monday, 9 August. Image used for representational purposes.

(Photo: PTI)

Video Producer: Mayank Chawla

Video Editor: Puneet Bhatia

After 20 years of war, the Taliban captured Afghanistan's capital Kabul in 10 days on Sunday, 15 August, as President Ashraf Ghani fled the war-torn country.

Ghani escaped as the militant group surrounded Kabul.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Ghani said, "The Taliban have won with the judgement of their swords and guns, and are now responsible for the honour, property and self-preservation of their countrymen."

“There will be no transitional government in Afghanistan” two Afghan officials had told Reuters as the Taliban announced that it had taken control of the Afghan Presidential Palace in Kabul on Sunday.

Video footage of Taliban commanders and armed militants moving within the walls of the presidential palace was broadcast by Al Jazeera on Sunday evening.

Panic, fear, and disorder gripped the capital with visuals of the crowded airport emerging on the internet, as swarms of people looked to flee the brutality of Taliban rule.

Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar announced his victory in a video message posted on social media.

He said, "Now, it's time to test and prove. Now, we have to show that we can serve our nation and ensure security and comfort of life."

US Exit And Afghanistan Government's Collapse

As the United States withdrew military support from the region it had invaded 20 years ago, Afghanistan's defence against the Taliban crumbled at an astonishing pace.

US President Joe Biden promised to airlift all American troops by the end of August, and insisted there would be no alarming evacuation. However, American officials, fearful of the Taliban, were all trying to flee the country on Sunday, AFP reported.

In a joint statement, the Pentagon and US State Department said, "We are completing a series of steps to secure the Hamid Karzai International Airport to enable the safe departure of US and allied personnel."

However, as Afghani people scrambled to get on the final few commercial flights, Rakhshanda Jilali, a human rights activist told Reuters, "How can they hold the airport and dictate terms and conditions to Afghans?"

"This is our airport but we are seeing diplomats being evacuated while we wait in complete uncertainty," Jilali added.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, AFP reported that an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan has been planned.

Taliban's seizure comes with heightened fears and anxieties over the imposition of Islamic religious law, under which women had no right to work and people would be stoned, whipped, and hanged in public.