Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country

Taliban fighters capture Rashtrapati Bhavan
Kabul: Taliban fighters have captured Afghanistan’s presidential palace here, according to video footage broadcast on the Al-Jazeera news network. In the footage, a large group of Taliban fighters can be seen inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the capital Kabul. The Taliban are expected to announce their occupation of Afghanistan from the Rashtrapati Bhavan and re-name the country the ‘Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’.
Within days of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan after twenty years of fighting, almost the entire country has been again captured by the Taliban. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will hold an emergency meeting on Monday on the situation in Afghanistan at the request of Estonia and Norway.
Council diplomats said on Sunday that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would brief council members on the latest situation in the aftermath of the Taliban’s capture of the capital, Kabul. Significantly, after the knock of Taliban fighters on Kabul in the morning, President Ashraf Ghani left the country. At the same time, countrymen and foreigners are also trying to leave the war-torn country, although due to the closure of commercial flights from Kabul airport, these efforts of the people have got a setback.
According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the US is systematically evacuating the remaining staff from its embassy in Kabul. However, he did not play down the allegations of the US exiting in a hurry, saying that this is not a repeat of Vietnam.
“Our men are leaving the campus and heading to the airport,” Blinken said on ABC Channel’s “The Week” on Sunday.
He also confirmed that US embassy staff were destroying documents and other materials before vacating the premises, but insisted that “this is being done very carefully and systematically.” All this is happening in the presence of US forces, who are ensuring our security there. Military helicopters continued to fly from the compound on Sunday in order to evacuate the US embassy in Kabul.
Citizens want to leave the country out of fear that the Taliban may re-enact a brutal regime that would end women’s rights. Citizens stood outside cash machines to withdraw their lifetime savings. At the same time, thousands of common people who left their homes in rural areas of the country for a more secure environment in Kabul were seen taking shelter in parks and open spaces throughout the city.
Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, confirmed that Ghani had left the country. Abdullah said, “The former President of Afghanistan has left the country, leaving Afghanistan in this difficult situation. May Allah hold them accountable.