Various sources has confirmed that the Taliban has finally entered Afghanistan’s capital city Kabul on Sunday. However, a Taliban spokesperson said they have been instructed to stay at the gates of Kabul and not enter city.
Earlier today, the key eastern city of Jalalabad fell without a fight.
Taliban has swept through the country taking all the major cities including Mazar-i-Sharif, Logar province, Kandahar, Herat among others. The takeover of cities in the last 24 hours has been virtually unopposed. As Taliban fighters entered Mazar-i-Sharif on Saturday, government security forces escaped to neighbouring Uzbekistan.
Meanwhile, thousands of civilians have streamed into Kabul, fleeing from the Taliban controlled areas. Hundreds of people have been displaced and are now staying homeless in the capital. Overcrowded tents and open areas with a lack of food and other amenities has become a common sight in the city.
In another development, the first American troops arrived in Kabul on Saturday to protect the capital and keep control of the airport. President Joe Biden authorized the deployment of 5,000 troops to help evacuate citizens and ensure an “orderly and safe” drawdown of US military personnel.
-AFP/Agencies