The President of Afghanistan fled the country because the Taliban claimed victory in Kabul

AfghanistanPresident Ashraf Ghani confirmed that he fled the country to avoid bloodshed. Taliban Insurgents enter the capital accept on Sunday.

The Taliban commander stated that they have taken control of the presidential palace and that the war in Afghanistan “is over.”

In a Facebook post, Mr. Ghani said: “Today I encountered a difficult choice. I either faced an armed Taliban who wanted to enter the palace, or I left the country that I dedicated my life to protecting and nurturing, for the past 20 years.

“If left unchecked, countless patriots will be killed and the city of Kabul will be destroyed, leading to a major humanitarian disaster in this city of 6 million people.

“The Taliban have made it clear that they are ready to carry out bloody attacks on the entire territory of Kabul and the people of Kabul Sharif to expel me. In order to prevent bloodshed from spreading, I decided to leave.”

British troops arrived in Kabul on Sunday to help evacuate embassy staff and British citizens.

The United States has evacuated diplomats from its embassy by helicopter.

A spokesperson for the Taliban Political Office in Doha, Qatar, told Al Jazeera that the type and form of regime that the country will implement will be “soon” clarified.

The spokesperson added that security will be provided to citizens and diplomatic missions.

He said: “We do not interfere in other people’s affairs, nor are we allowed to interfere in our affairs.”

“We have reached the goal we sought, namely the freedom of our country and the independence of our people.”

US officials stated that their diplomats were being transported to the airport from the embassy in the fortified Wazir Akbar Khan district.

After the Taliban’s lightning advancement brought the Islamic organization to Kabul within a few days, more American troops were sent to help with the evacuation.

Just last week, US intelligence agencies estimated that Kabul could hold on for at least three months.

Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said women should not be afraid. “We will protect their honor, let them work and receive education,” he told the BBC. “They should continue to work as usual.”

However, reports from areas already captured by the organization indicate that women’s rights are being eradicated.

In early July, when the insurgents seized territory from government forces, a group of people walked into the office of the Azizi Bank in the southern city of Kandahar and ordered the 9 women working there to leave. According to reports, the gunmen escorted them home and told them not to return to work, saying that male relatives could take their jobs.

A US official stated that members of the “core” US team were working at Kabul Airport on Sunday, while a NATO official stated that several EU workers had moved to a safer, undisclosed location in the capital.

Earlier on Sunday, the insurgents occupied the eastern city of Jalalabad without fighting, giving them control of one of the main highways to inland Afghanistan. They also took over the nearby Tolkam border post with Pakistan, making Kabul Airport the only way to leave Afghanistan but still controlled by the government.

The occupation of Jalalabad came after the Taliban occupied the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif late Saturday, and there was almost no fighting.

“There is currently no conflict in Jalalabad because the governor has surrendered to the Taliban,” an Afghan official based in Lalabad told Reuters. “Allowing access to the Taliban is the only way to save civilian lives.”

A video clip released by the Taliban shows people cheering and shouting that Allah is the greatest—God is the greatest—because a team of pickup trucks entered the city with soldiers waving machine guns and white Taliban flags.

After the U.S.-led army withdrew most of the remaining troops last month, the Taliban’s operations accelerated as the Afghan army’s defenses appeared to collapse.

President Joe Biden authorized the deployment of 5,000 soldiers on Saturday to help evacuate citizens and ensure the “orderly and safe” drawdown of military personnel. A US defense official said that included 1,000 newly approved soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division.