- The Taliban took control of the palace in Kabul and declared the end of the war in Afghanistan.
- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday, saying he wanted to avoid conflict and bloodshed.
- At the same time, hundreds of Afghans eager to leave the country flooded into Kabul Airport, while foreign diplomats were evacuating.
Kabul-The Taliban declared the end of the war in Afghanistan after taking control of the presidential palace in Kabul, while Western countries scrambled to evacuate their citizens in the chaos at the airport on Monday as crazy Afghans were looking for a way out.
On Sunday, President Ashraf Ghani fled the country because Islamic militants entered the capital with little opposition and said he wanted to avoid bloodshed, while hundreds of Afghans desperate to leave were flooded. To Kabul Airport.
Muhammad Naim, a spokesman for the Taliban Political Office, told Al Jazeera:
For the Afghan people and jihadists, today is a great day. Over the past 20 years, they have witnessed the fruits of their hard work and sacrifices.
“Thank God, the war in this country is over.”
The Taliban seized control of the country in just over a week, because the government forces were trained for many years and equipped by the United States and other countries at billions of dollars, and finally ended in Kabul.
Al Jazeera broadcast what it said was footage of the Taliban commander in the presidential palace and dozens of armed fighters.
Naim said that the form of the new Afghan regime will soon be clear, adding that the Taliban do not want to live in isolation and call for peaceful international relations.
‘Don’t scare civilians’
“We have reached the goal we sought, namely the freedom of our country and the independence of our people,” he said. “We will not allow anyone to use our land against anyone, and we do not want to harm others.”
A Taliban leader told Reuters that the insurgents are regrouping from different provinces and will wait until foreign troops leave before establishing a new governance structure.
The leader, who requested anonymity, said that Taliban fighters were “ordered to allow Afghans to resume their daily activities and not take any actions to intimidate civilians.”
“Normal life will continue in a better way, and that’s all I can say now,” he told Reuters in a message.
Early on a sunny Monday, the streets in central Kabul were basically empty, and the waking residents were thinking about their future.
“I’m in a state of complete shock,” said Sherzad Karim Stanekzai, as he was guarded overnight in his carpet shop. “I know there will be no foreigners and no one will come to Kabul now.”
The militants tried to show a more gentle face, promising to respect women’s rights and protect foreigners and Afghans.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called on the Taliban to uphold human rights and said that the whole world is paying attention: “Everything will depend on actions, not words.”
‘Complete uncertainty’
A US State Department spokesperson said earlier on Monday that all embassy personnel, including Ambassador Rose Wilson, have been transferred to Kabul Airport, mainly by helicopter, waiting for evacuation. The US flag has been lowered and removed from the embassy compound.
Hundreds of Afghans broke into the airport runway in the dark, pulling their luggage, scrambling to find a place on one of the last commercial flights that took off before the U.S. military took over air traffic control on Sunday.
“This is our airport, but we saw diplomats being evacuated, and we were waiting with complete uncertainty,” said the human rights activist Rakhshanda Jilali (Rakhshanda Jilali) who tried to go to Pakistan in a note at the airport. The message told Reuters.
A U.S. official said that the U.S. military that manages the airport opened fire into the air to prevent Afghans from flooding the tarmac and trying to board military flights.
A video posted on social media showed dozens of men trying to climb an overhead take-off gangway to board the plane, while hundreds of others were hovering nearby.
The Pentagon authorized another 1,000 soldiers on Sunday to help evacuate American citizens and the Afghans who worked for them, expanding its safe presence on the ground to nearly 6,000 soldiers in the next 48 hours.
More than 60 Western countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Japan, issued a joint statement requesting all Afghans and international citizens who want to leave to leave.
Western countries, including France, Germany and New Zealand, said they are trying to get citizens and some Afghan employees to leave. Russia indicated that there is no need to evacuate its embassy for the time being, while Turkey indicated that its embassy will continue to operate.
In a Facebook post, Ghani said that he left the country to avoid conflict with the Taliban, which would endanger millions of Kabul residents. Some social media users called Ghani a coward, because Ghani did not reveal his location, leaving them in chaos.
‘Failure experience’
Many Afghans worry that the Taliban will go back to the harsh practices of the past when implementing Sharia law. During the reign from 1996 to 2001, women were unable to work and were punished by stoning, whipping, and hanging.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint and expressed special concern for the future of women and girls.
In Washington, opponents of President Joe Biden’s decision to end the longest war waged by the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks say that the chaos was caused by leadership failure.
Biden has faced increasing domestic criticism after sticking to his Republican predecessor Donald Trump’s plan to end US military missions by August 31.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell accused Biden of what he called “a shameful failure of American leadership.”
McConnell said: “Terrorists and major competitors like China are looking at the embarrassment of a superpower.”
Naim said that the Taliban will adopt a two-way non-interference international policy. “We don’t think that foreign powers will repeat their mistakes.”
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