Taliban enter Kabul, helicopters begin arriving at US embassy
The Taliban entered the outskirts of the Afghan capital, Kabul, after which government employees began fleeing government offices in chaos, while helicopters began arriving at the US embassy.
Earlier, the Taliban captured the Afghan city of Jalalabad without resistance or fighting, after which the Afghan government's control was limited to the capital, Kabul.
The fall of Jalal-Abad also gave the Taliban control of the road that connects the Pakistani city of Peshawar with Afghanistan and is one of the country's most important highways, Reuters reported.
Earlier, the Taliban had captured the country's fourth largest city, Mazar-e-Sharif, which was promised to be defended by two former warlords, giving the Taliban control of the entire northern part of Afghanistan.
An Afghan official in Jalal-Abad said there was no fighting in the city because the governor had surrendered to the Taliban and giving way to them was the only way to save civilian lives.
Another security official said the Taliban had agreed to provide a safe passage for government officials and security forces if they left Jalalabad.
On Saturday, Taliban fighters entered Mazar-e-Sharif without resistance as security forces fled the highway to neighboring Uzbekistan.
An unverified video that went viral on social media shows Afghan army vehicles and uniformed men gathering on an iron bridge between the Afghan towns of Hairatan and Uzbekistan.
On the other hand, the militants posted pictures and videos on Sunday morning in which they can be seen in the governor's office in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province.
Staff at the US embassy in Kabul have been ordered to start burning sensitive material, while European countries, including Britain, Germany, Denmark and Spain, have announced the withdrawal of personnel from their respective embassies.
Thousands of Kabul residents, as well as those seeking refuge in the capital, are feeling fear and insecurity.
Comments
Post a Comment