Afghan president flees the country as Taliban move on Kabul

By Ahmad Seir, Rahim Faiez, Tameem Akhgar and Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan’s embattled president near the state Sunday, joining his chap citizens and foreigners successful a stampede fleeing the advancing Taliban and signaling the extremity of a 20-year Western experimentation aimed astatine remaking Afghanistan.

The Taliban, who for hours had been connected the outskirts of Kabul, announced soon aft they would determination further into a metropolis gripped by panic wherever helicopters raced overhead passim the time to evacuate unit from the U.S. Embassy. Smoke roseate adjacent the compound arsenic unit destroyed important documents. Several different Western missions besides prepared to propulsion their radical out.

Afghans fearing that the Taliban could reimpose the benignant of brutal regularisation that each but eliminated women’s rights rushed to permission the state arsenic well, lining up astatine currency machines to retreat their beingness savings. The desperately mediocre — who had near homes successful the countryside for the presumed information of the superior — remained successful their thousands successful parks and unfastened spaces passim the city.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected comparisons to the U.S. pullout from Vietnam, arsenic galore watched successful disbelief astatine the show of helicopters landing successful the embassy compound to instrumentality diplomats to a caller outpost astatine Kabul International Airport.

“This is manifestly not Saigon,” helium said connected ABC’s “This Week.”

President Ashraf Ghani flew retired of the country, 2 officials told The Associated Press, speaking connected information of anonymity due to the fact that they weren’t authorized to little journalists. Abdullah Abdullah, the caput of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, aboriginal confirmed that Ghani had left.

“The erstwhile president of Afghanistan near Afghanistan, leaving the state successful this hard situation,” Abdullah said. “God should clasp him accountable.”

In a stunning rout, the Taliban seized astir each of Afghanistan successful conscionable implicit a week, contempt the billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and NATO implicit astir 2 decades to physique up Afghan information forces. Just days earlier, an American subject appraisal estimated it would beryllium a period earlier the superior would travel nether insurgent pressure.

The autumn of Kabul marks the last section of America’s longest war, which began aft the Sept. 11, 2001, panic attacks masterminded by al-Qaida’s Osama bin Laden, past harbored by the Taliban government. A U.S.-led penetration dislodged the Taliban and bushed them back, though America mislaid absorption connected the struggle successful the chaos of the Iraq War.

For years, the U.S. has been looking for an exit for the war. Washington nether then-President Donald Trump signed a woody with the Taliban successful February 2020 that constricted nonstop subject enactment against the insurgents. That allowed the fighters to stitchery spot and determination rapidly to prehend cardinal areas erstwhile President Joe Biden announced his plans to retreat each American forces by the extremity of this month.

On Sunday, the insurgents entered the outskirts of Kabul but initially remained extracurricular of the city’s downtown. Meanwhile, Taliban negotiators successful the superior discussed the transportation of power, said an Afghan authoritative who spoke connected information of anonymity for fearfulness of reprisals. The official, who spoke connected information of anonymity to sermon details of the closed-doors negotiations, described them arsenic “tense.”

It remained unclear erstwhile that transportation would instrumentality spot and who among the Taliban was negotiating. The negotiators connected the authorities broadside included erstwhile President Hamid Karzai, person of Hizb-e-Islami governmental and paramilitary radical Gulbudin Hekmatyar and Abdullah, who has been a vocal professional of Ghani.

Karzai himself appeared successful a video posted online, his 3 young daughters astir him, saying helium remained successful Kabul.

“We are trying to lick the contented of Afghanistan with the Taliban enactment peacefully,” helium said, portion the roar of a passing chopper could beryllium heard overhead.

Afghanistan’s acting defence minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, didn’t clasp backmost his disapproval of the fleeing president.

“They tied our hands from down and sold the country,” helium wrote connected Twitter. “Curse Ghani and his gang.”

The insurgents tried to calm residents of the capital, insisting their fighters wouldn’t participate people’s homes oregon interfere with businesses. They besides said they’d connection an “amnesty” to those who worked with the Afghan authorities oregon overseas forces.

“No one’s life, spot and dignity volition beryllium harmed and the lives of the citizens of Kabul volition not beryllium astatine risk,” the insurgents said successful a statement.

But determination person been reports of revenge killings and different brutal tactics successful areas of the state the Taliban person seized successful caller days. One pistillate journalist, weeping, sent dependable messages to colleagues aft equipped men entered her flat gathering and banged connected her door.

“What should I do? Should I telephone the constabulary oregon Taliban?” Getee Azami cried. It wasn’t wide what happened to her aft that.

Many chose to flee, rushing to the Kabul airport, the past way retired of the state arsenic the Taliban present clasp each borderline crossing. NATO said it was “helping to support operations astatine Kabul airdrome to support Afghanistan connected with the world.”

One Afghan assemblage pupil described feeling betrayed arsenic she watched the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy.

“You failed the younger procreation of Afghanistan,” said Aisha Khurram, 22, who is present unsure of whether she’ll beryllium capable to postgraduate successful 2 months’ time. “A procreation … raised successful the modern Afghanistan were hoping to physique the state with their ain hands. They enactment blood, efforts and sweat into immoderate we had close now.”

Sunday began with the Taliban seizing the adjacent metropolis of Jalalabad — which had been the past large metropolis too the superior not successful their hands. Afghan officials said the militants besides took the capitals of Maidan Wardak, Khost, Kapisa and Parwan provinces, arsenic good arsenic the country’s past government-held borderline post.

Later, Afghan forces astatine Bagram aerial base, location to a situation lodging 5,000 inmates, surrendered to the Taliban, according to Bagram territory main Darwaish Raufi. The situation astatine the erstwhile U.S. basal held some Taliban and Islamic State radical fighters.