Afghan capital panics as Taliban seizes control

Afghan capital panics as Taliban seizes control

Special Desk :    |    ০২:৪৩ পিএম, ২০২১-০৮-১৬

Ashraf Ghani fled Afghanistan on Monday after admitting that insurgents had won the 20-year war.

As a result of the collapse of the government so quickly, the presidential palace was taken over by extremists on Sunday night, which triggered fear and panic in the capital.

Crowds gathered at the airport as thousands of people fled Kabul and Taliban rule in scenes of chaos.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the capital on Sunday, as the Taliban won a nationwide military victory that saw all cities fall to them in a matter of days.

Ghani says the Taliban won with the judgment of sword and gun and now have to take care of the honor and property of their fellow Afghans. This is the first Facebook statement he's posted since fleeing.

In a video posted on social media, Abdul Ghani Baradar, a Taliban co-founder, also announced the movement's victory.

"Now we have to test and prove, now we have to prove that we can protect and provide comfort and security for our citizens," he said.

In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the US military invaded Afghanistan in 2001 and toppled the Taliban for its support of Al Qaeda. Without the US military, the government forces collapsed.

Despite spending billions of dollars and providing two decades of military support, the United States failed to build a democratic government that could resist the Taliban.

Biden insists there was no choice and he would not 'pass this war to the next president. -All American troops are scheduled to leave Afghanistan by the end of the month, according to Biden.

The rapidly falling Afghan government left the US administration stunned.

Although American officials insist there will be no panicking evacuations from Kabul, their Afghan allies and other residents fearful of the Taliban attempted to flee on Monday.

The United States had deployed 6,000 troops to the airport to help evacuate embassy personnel and Afghans who provided interpreters or other assistance to the United States.

US authorities conceded at the airport, however, that they were not in control.

The Pentagon and State Department said in a joint statement that steps are being taken to secure Hamid Karzai International Airport to ensure the safe departure of US and allied personnel.

In response, the United States released a statement with more than 65 nations warning the Taliban that they will be held accountable for any abuses.

‘The United States joins the international community in affirming that Afghans and international citizens who wish to depart must be allowed to do so,’ secretary of state Antony Blinken wrote on Twitter.

‘Those in positions of power and authority across Afghanistan bear responsibility — and accountability — for the protection of human life.’

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres urged the Taliban and all parties to ‘exercise restraint and said the rights of women and girls, who suffered under the previous Taliban regime, must be protected.

The UN also said the Security Council would meet over Afghanistan on Monday.

Ghani’s government was left completely isolated on Sunday after the insurgents overran the anti-Taliban northern stronghold of Mazar-i-Sharif and the eastern city of Jalalabad.

Like with most of the other captured cities, the seizure of power came after government forces surrendered or retreated.

They then surrounded the capital.

Thousands of police and other government security forces suddenly abandoned their posts, uniforms, and even weapons on Sunday night.

After initially ordering fighters not to enter the capital, a Taliban spokesman confirmed they had entered Kabul on Sunday night to ‘ensure security.

Three senior Taliban sources told AFP that their fighters had taken control of the presidential palace and were holding a meeting on security in the capital.

For the tens of thousands who have sought refuge in Kabul in recent weeks, the overwhelming mood was one of apprehension and fear.

‘I am worried there will be a lot of fighting here,’ one doctor who arrived with his 35-strong family from Kunduz told AFP, asking not to be named, adding, ‘I would rather return home, where I know it has stopped.’