File image.
On August 15 afternoon, Taliban fighters took over the Presidential Palace in the Afghan capital Kabul without facing any resistance.
Just a few hours earlier, the group announced that it “Mujahedeen” will enter certain parts of Kabul to “prevent chaos and theft” and take over a number of outposts which were abandoned by government forces.
The Taliban begins its rule in Kabul, Afghanistan. And the fruit seller didn’t stop selling—as you can hear in the background. pic.twitter.com/0kqCrYOgnh
— Ezzatullah Mehrdad (@EzzatMehrdad) August 15, 2021
Taliban entered into PD#5, Kabul. pic.twitter.com/gJkQDcFUHp
— FazelminallahQazizai (@FazelQazizai) August 15, 2021
— FazelminallahQazizai (@FazelQazizai) August 15, 2021
Taliban fighters are now reportedly releasing their comrades from the prisons of the National Directorate of Security in Kabul.
صورة من داخل القصر الرئاسي، بعد سيطرة قوات #الإمارة_الإسلامية على القصر
الله أكبر ولله الحمد.#طالبان_تنتصر pic.twitter.com/BGSSgwqoUU— الإمارة الإسلامية (@alemara_ar) August 15, 2021
Taliban Humvees now patroling the Kabul city. #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/OafpsEWVpH
— FJ (@Natsecjeff) August 15, 2021
VIDEO shows Taliban arriving at the Afghan Presidential Palace. #Kabul
— FJ (@Natsecjeff) August 15, 2021
Earlier, the Taliban claimed that it was not planning to take over the capital by force. However, the group changed its plans following the resignation of President Ashraf Ghani, who has since fled the country.
The situation in Kabul remains unstable, so do in the city’s airport where thousands of US troops are struggling to evacuate American diplomats and citizens.
According to a number of sources, US Ambassador Ross Wilson has fled Kabul city to the airport taking with him the US flag which was flown over the embassy.
Scenes from #Kabul Airport, #Afghanistan showing people boarding what appears to a C17 (please correct me if wrong) and what appears to be gunfire in the air in the distance. pic.twitter.com/p3l7zrVu77
— Aurora Intel (@AuroraIntel) August 15, 2021
The US embassy, which is now operating out of Kabul Airport, said that the security situation at the airport in the Afghan capital was changing quickly, and that there were reports of gunfire as US troops aided the evacuation of American personnel.
“There are reports of the airport taking fire; therefore we are instructing U.S. citizens to shelter in place,” the embassy said in a security alert.
The Taliban is now in control of most of Kabul. The group’s fighters are present near the airport. Any attack by the group on the airport will not likely end in favor of US forces. The group could decide to overrun the airport to take hostages in the upcoming few hours.
The Taliban’s decisions are getting more radical by the hour. After reports of a plan to form an interim government, the group is now saying that it will soon declare the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” from the presidential palace in Kabul.
