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The embattled president of Afghanistan has left the country, fleeing the advancing Taliban with his compatriots and foreigners, marking the end of a 20-year Western experiment aimed at reshaping Afghanistan.
Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the Afghanistan National Reconciliation Commission, confirmed in an online video that President Ghani had left on Sunday.
Abdullah said: “The former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan and put the country in this difficult situation.” “God should hold him accountable.”
Two officials who asked not to be named told the Associated Press that Ghani flew out of the country because they did not have the right to brief reporters. Local media reported that Ghani went to Tajikistan.
Abdullah said he hoped that the security forces would continue to provide security for Kabul and asked the Taliban to wait for talks before entering the city.
However, the Taliban, who had spent a few hours on the outskirts of Kabul, announced shortly afterwards that they would further enter the city shrouded in panic throughout the day as helicopters flew overhead and evacuated people from the US Embassy. As the staff destroyed important documents, thick smoke erupted near the compound. Several other Western missions are also preparing to pull their people out.
The civilians worried that the Taliban might re-implement the cruel rules that almost eliminated women’s rights. They also hurriedly left the country and lined up in front of the ATMs to withdraw their life savings. Desperate poor people-who left their rural homes in search of safety in the capital-still have thousands of people in parks and open spaces throughout the city.
Although the United States and NATO have spent billions of dollars to establish Afghan security forces in the past 20 years, since August 6, the Taliban has seized 26 of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial capitals, which is shocking.
Just a few days ago, the U.S. military assessment estimated that the capital will be under pressure from the Taliban in a month.
On the contrary, the Taliban quickly defeated, wooed or dispatched Afghan security forces to flee large areas of the country, even though they received some air support from the U.S. military.
On Sunday, the Taliban arrived on the outskirts of Kabul, but apparently remained outside the city’s city centre. Although the streets are basically quiet, there will be sporadic gunfire from time to time.
Power transfer
Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Al Jazeera that the organization is “waiting for a peaceful transfer in Kabul City”. He declined to provide details about any possible negotiations between his troops and the government.
But when asked what kind of agreement the Taliban wanted, Shaheen admitted that they were seeking the unconditional surrender of the central government.
An Afghan official who declined to be named due to fear of retaliation told the Associated Press that Taliban negotiators discussed the transfer of power in Kabul on Sunday. It is not clear when the transfer will take place and who in the Taliban is negotiating.
Government negotiators include former President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah. Abdullah has always been an outspoken critic of Ghani, who has long refused to give up his power to reach an agreement with the Taliban.
Before fleeing the country, Ghani appeared increasingly isolated. The strongman who negotiated with him a few days ago either surrendered to the Taliban or fled, leaving him no choice. Negotiations in Doha, the capital of Qatar (where the Taliban office is located), failed to stop the organization from moving forward.
Despite this, Acting Minister of Defense Bismirah Khan tried to assure the public that Kabul would remain “safe.” The Taliban also tried to reassure the residents of the capital, insisting that their fighters would not enter people’s homes or interfere with businesses. They also stated that they will “amnesty” those who cooperate with the Afghan government or foreign military forces.
The organization said in a statement: “No one’s life, property or dignity will be harmed, and the lives of Kabul citizens will not be threatened.”
However, there are reports that retaliatory killings and other brutal tactics have occurred in countries and regions occupied by the Taliban in recent days.
Afghan officials said the Taliban also occupied the capitals of Maidan Wardak, Khost, Kabisa and Parwan provinces on Sunday.
On Sunday, Taliban militants also seized the land border with Pakistan in Tolkam, the last border they could not control. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told the local broadcaster Geographic Television that after the Taliban occupation, Pakistan stopped cross-border traffic there.
According to Darvash Raufi, the head of the Bagram area, the Afghan army at Bagram Air Base later surrendered to the Taliban, which is a prison that can accommodate 5,000 prisoners. The prison of the former US base holds Taliban and Islamic State (ISIS) fighters.
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