Advertisement

Taliban fighters storm final Afghan city and demand surrender

Taliban fighters
The Islamist group has reversed 20 years of gains by the Western-backed government in Kabul in a matter of days (Picture: AP)

Taliban fighters have entered the Afghan capital of Kabul with the fate of the country hanging in the balance.

Western embassy staff are being evacuated with insurgents reportedly surrounding the city.

Afghan officials have confirmed to news agencies that fighters are in at least three districts already.

There are reports Taliban leadership has ordered its soldiers not to take the city by force and await the outcome of negotiations with the Western-backed government.

A twenty year legacy of support and financial aid for Afghanistan’s government and security forces has all but collapsed in a matter of weeks.

The Islamist group, which was removed from power after the 2001 invasion, has moved with ease across the country and taken city after city after meeting little resistance. 

Fighters were emboldened by the exit of Western troops as part of a military withdrawal pre-announced for August 31.

It remains unclear whether major fighting will break out around Kabul or whether the Taliban will be allowed to seize power quickly.

The UK parliament is reportedly set to be recalled from its summer recess next week to discuss the rapidly deteriorating situation.

A man sells Taliban flags in Herat province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021.
Until recent days, the one all-powerful group only controlled small parts of the countryside (Picture: AP)
A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies over the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021.
US Chinook helicopters have been seen airlifting Americans out of the city in scenes reminiscent of the evacuation of Saigon during the Vietnam war (Picture: AP)
Taliban fighters drive an Afghan National Army (ANA) vehicle through the streets of Laghman province on August 15, 2021.
The group has been emboldened by the withdrawal of US forces and air support (Picture: AFP)
Taliban fighters and local residents sit over an Afghan National Army (ANA) humvee vehicle along the roadside in Laghman province on August 15, 2021.
Cities have been falling to the group on a daily basis this week but now the Taliban has come to seize the big prize (Picture: AFP)

Just days ago, an American military assessment estimated it would be a month before the capital would come under insurgent pressure.

But the rapid progress of the group this week has stunned the world, with Kabul now potentially hours away from falling.

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Qatar’s Al-Jazeera English satellite news channel that the insurgents are ‘awaiting a peaceful transfer of Kabul city’.

He declined to offer specifics on any possible negotiations between his forces and the government.

There have been reports of gunfire in parts of the city but this has been downplayed by Afghan president Ashraf Ghani .

He said: ‘The defence and security forces along with the international forces working for the security of Kabul city and the situation is under control.’

Anti-missile decoy flares are deployed as U.S. Black Hawk military helicopters and a dirigible balloon fly over the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Taliban fighters entered the outskirts of the Afghan capital on Sunday and said they were awaiting a ???peaceful transfer??? of the city after promising not to take it by force, but amid the uncertainty panicked workers fled government offices and helicopters landed at the U.S. Embassy. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Twenty years after victory was declared in Afghanistan, the US and UK are hastily airlifting citizens of the roofs of embassy buildings (Picture: AP)
Taliban forces patrol a street in Herat, Afghanistan August 14, 2021.
Heavily armed militants are surrounding the capital of city and its collapse is seemingly imminent (Picture: AFP)
Taliban forces patrol a street in Herat, Afghanistan August 14, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
Fighters have been instructed not to engage in gun battles as the Taliban believes it can force the Western-backed government to walk away (Picture: Reuters)

The Taliban has issued a number of instructions, including telling foreigners to leave Kabul in the coming days or ‘register their presence’ with the group.

Afghan forces have instructed to return to their homes, according to local reports, but insurgents have been ordered not to ‘conduct celebratory gunfire right now’.

Bagram air base, a major military installation which houses around 5,000 imprisoned Taliban leaders and fighters, has been surrendered to the group, an Afghan official confirmed.

Former cabinet minister Rory Stewart, who governed part of Afghanistan after the invasion, called the Biden’s administration to press ahead with the withdrawal ‘a monumental betrayal’.

The chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat said it was ‘the biggest single foreign policy disaster’ since Suez, while Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood said it was a humiliation for the West.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.

Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.



Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post