Home Updates Afghan Government Falls, Taliban Take Control of Kabul

Afghan Government Falls, Taliban Take Control of Kabul

On 15th August, Sunday, the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital Kabul after Ashraf Ghani’s government collapsed and he left the country for Tajikistan

On Sunday, the Taliban took control of Kabul, the Afghan capital, after Ashraf Ghani’s government collapsed. On the other hand, president Ghani resigned and left the country and his close fellows and family members, signaling the end of a pro-long twenty-year United States combat operation and the campaign to remake the country. With heavy weapons and ammunition, Taliban fighters swept across Kabul, and many entered the capital’s abandoned presidential palace.

A Taliban negotiator and spokesperson, Suhail Shaheen, told the press that the Taliban would hold dialogs in the coming days to form an inclusive and open Islamic government in the country. Earlier, a Taliban official said that they would announce from the presidential palace the rebuilding of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the official name of the country under Taliban rule before the Taliban was exiled by United States-led NATO forces in the aftermath of 9/11 attacks in Washington.

Taliban Promised a Peaceful Transition in Afghanistan

Panic and terror gripped the Afghan’s capital after the Taliban sweep. Helicopters raced above all over the day to evacuate personnel from the United States Embassy. Smoke also rose nearby the compound as U.S. staff destroyed and burnt important documents and lowered the American flag. Several other Western countries also prepared to withdraw their people from the country. Fearful that militants could reimpose the type of brutal rule that all but eliminated the rights of women, Afghan people rushed to leave the country, rushing towards cash machines to withdraw their life savings.

However, after leaving their homes in the countryside, the poor residents of Afghanistan remained in open spaces and parks throughout the city. Though the Taliban insurgents vowed a peaceful transition, the United States Embassy postponed operations and warned their citizens in Afghanistan late in the day to stay under a sheltered place and try not to move towards the airport. In addition, according to two senior American military officials, the airport administration suspended the commercial flights after intermittent gunfire erupted at the Kabul airport.

Afghan Government Falls, Taliban Take Control of Kabul
Afghan Government Falls, Taliban Take Control of Kabul
Source: Web

Evacuations from the country continued on military flights, but the pause to commercial traffic block one of the last routes available for escaping Afghans. Many Afghanis appealed to all parties involved to facilitate and respect the departure of Afghans and foreigners who wish to leave. Over sixty countries released their joint statement, which said that those in authority and power all over Afghanistan bear accountability and responsibility for the protection and safety of human life and property and the instant restoration of civil order and security. The statement also added that the airports, border crossings, and roads must remain open for the people.

Is the current pull-out similar to U.S. Withdrawal from Vietnam?

Several people watched in doubt as the helicopter landed in the United States Embassy composite to take diplomats to a new settlement at the airport. Antony Blinken, the United States Secretary of State, rejected comparisons to the American withdrawal from Vietnam. However, he said on This Week of ABC News that it is noticeably not Saigon. Furthermore, the official said that the United States ambassador was among those people who evacuated.

In another tweet, Blinken assured that the U.S. joined the international community to ensure the departure of global citizens and Afghans who want to leave the country amid the Taliban sweeping into Kabul. Further, he added that border crossing, airports, and roads must remain open for the people.

Ashraf Ghani Left Afghanistan as Taliban Swept Kabul

Ashraf Ghani, the Afghan President, along with Amrullah Saleh, the vice president, and other senior officials, flew out of the country on Sunday, leaving the stage for the insurgent group to regain power in Afghanistan twenty years after the United States-led military combat operation ousted them. Senior members of the Taliban military commission reached the Afghan Presidential palace as insurgent fighters took positions at main posts in the city.

Zabiullah Mujahid, the spokesperson of the Taliban, said on Sunday evening that the fighters ordered to protect security posts and other installations in the Afghan capital to prevent looting and chaos after Afghan government forces abandoned them. Mujahid urged the citizens to stay peaceful and calm and said that the move meant ensuring people’s security. On Facebook, Ghani stated later Sunday that he left Afghanistan to prevent violence in the country. He reached Tajikistan then instantly left for an unknown destination.

The head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, Abdullah Abdullah, posted a video on Facebook in which he was criticizing Ghani for his escape from the country. He held Ghani responsible for leaving the nation in a bad position. Further, he adds that Allah will make him accountable. Amrullah Saleh, the Vice President of Afghanistan, who said to go with Ghani and other officials who left the country, tweeted vowed not to be bow to the Taliban. On the other side, he didn’t respond in the message to reports of him leaving Afghanistan.

Read Also: Biden Administration Stunned by Taliban’s Takeover of Kabul

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