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Taliban militants surrounded Kabul because the United States hurriedly evacuated diplomats from its embassy by helicopter.
Taliban militants surrounded the Afghan capital on Sunday and said they were waiting for a “peaceful transfer” of the city after promising not to seize the city by force.
Here is what we currently know:
what happened?
Taliban militants assembled on the outskirts of Kabul and are about to take over Afghanistan completely. But a spokesperson said they were ordered not to enter the capital.
“Our army did not enter Kabul. We just issued a statement saying that our army will not enter Kabul.” Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen told Al Jazeera. “We are discussing and waiting for a peaceful transfer-the transition of the capital.”
A tweet from the account of the Afghan Presidential Palace stated that gunshots were heard in multiple locations around Kabul, but the security forces, in coordination with international partners, still control the city.
What about the President of Afghanistan?
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani promised in a televised speech on Sunday that he will be responsible for the safety of the people of Kabul and will use his “full power” to meet with anyone who disrupts public order.
Officials said the Taliban are seeking unconditional surrender from the central government.
Who is responsible?
The Minister of Interior of Afghanistan, Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal (Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal) stated that the transitional government will “transfer power peacefully.”
“The Afghan people should not worry… the city will not be attacked and the power will be handed over to the Transitional Government,” he said in a taped speech.
An Afghan official told the Associated Press that Taliban negotiators are heading to the presidential palace to prepare for the “transfer” of power.
President Ghani did not immediately make any comments on the situation. A court official said that he was in emergency talks with U.S. peace envoy Khalilzad and senior NATO officials.
Residents of Kabul reported seeing Taliban fighters peacefully entering some suburbs of Kabul.
In Kabul, everything around me returned to normal.With more and more reports about the impending peaceful transfer of power, most people have returned to their homes
-Ali M Latifi (@alibomaye) August 15, 2021
What is the international reaction?
Russian Foreign Ministry official Zamir Kabulov told Russian news agencies that Russia said it is cooperating with other countries to hold an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Afghanistan as the Taliban completes its takeover. “We are working on this,” Kabrov said.
Kabulov also stated that Moscow does not intend to withdraw from its embassy in Kabul, saying that the Taliban have provided Russia with security guarantees for its mission in Afghanistan.
U.S. officials said that the diplomat was taking a helicopter from the U.S. Embassy to the airport. More American troops were sent to help evacuate.
US President Joe Biden said that owning its own territory is the responsibility of the Afghan military. Biden said on Saturday: “I cannot accept the endless presence of the United States in another country’s civil war.”
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry said that people are concerned about the “deteriorating situation” but “we have not yet made any decision to close the embassy”.
Based on the recommendations of our diplomatic, military, and intelligence teams, @POTUS Authorized deployment of approximately 5,000 U.S. troops to ensure the orderly and safe drawdown of U.S. Embassy and other Allied personnel
-U.S. Embassy in Kabul (@USEmbassyKabul) August 15, 2021
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