Taliban sweep into Afghan capital after government collapses

By AHMAD SEIR, RAHIM FAIEZ, TAMEEM AKHGAR and JON GAMBRELL, The Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban swept into Afghanistan’s superior Sunday aft the authorities collapsed and the embattled president joined an exodus of his chap citizens and foreigners, signaling the extremity of a costly two-decade U.S. run to remake the country.

Heavily equipped Taliban fighters fanned retired crossed the capital, and respective entered Kabul’s abandoned statesmanlike palace. Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesperson and negotiator, told The Associated Press that the militants would clasp talks successful the coming days aimed astatine forming an “open, inclusive Islamic government.”

Earlier, a Taliban authoritative said the radical would denote from the palace the restoration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the ceremonial sanction of the state nether Taliban regularisation earlier the militants were ousted by U.S.-led forces successful the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, which were orchestrated by al-Qaida portion it was being sheltered by the Taliban. But that program appeared to beryllium connected hold.

Kabul was gripped by panic. Helicopters raced overhead passim the time to evacuate unit from the U.S. Embassy. Smoke roseate adjacent the compound arsenic unit destroyed important documents, and the American emblem was lowered. Several different Western missions besides prepared to propulsion their radical out.

Fearful that the Taliban could reimpose the benignant of brutal regularisation that each but eliminated women’s rights, Afghans rushed to permission the country, 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 parks and unfastened spaces passim the city.

Though the Taliban had promised a peaceful transition, the U.S. Embassy suspended operations and warned Americans precocious successful the time to structure successful spot and not effort to get to the airport.

Commercial flights were suspended aft sporadic gunfire erupted astatine the Kabul airport, according to 2 elder U.S. subject officials. Evacuations continued connected subject flights, but the halt to commercialized postulation closed disconnected 1 of the past routes disposable for fleeing Afghans.

Many radical watched successful disbelief arsenic helicopters landed successful the U.S. Embassy compound to instrumentality diplomats to a caller outpost astatine the airport. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected comparisons to the U.S. pullout from Vietnam.

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

The American ambassador was among those evacuated, officials said. He was asking to instrumentality to the embassy, but it was not wide if helium would beryllium allowed to. The officials spoke connected information of anonymity to sermon ongoing operations.

As the insurgents closed in, President Ashraf Ghani flew retired of the country.

“The erstwhile president of Afghanistan near Afghanistan, leaving the state successful this hard situation,” said Abdullah Abdullah, the caput of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council and a longtime rival of Ghani. “God should clasp him accountable.”

Ghani aboriginal posted connected Facebook that helium near to avert bloodshed successful the capital, without saying wherever helium had gone.

As nighttime fell, Taliban fighters deployed crossed Kabul, taking implicit abandoned constabulary posts and pledging to support instrumentality and bid during the transition. Residents reported looting successful parts of the city, including successful the upscale diplomatic district, and messages circulating connected societal media advised radical to enactment wrong and fastener their gates.

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 20 years to physique up Afghan information forces. Just days earlier, an American subject appraisal estimated that the superior would not travel nether insurgent unit for a month.

The autumn of Kabul marks the last section of America’s longest war, which began aft the Sept. 11, 2001, panic attacks. A U.S.-led penetration dislodged the Taliban and bushed them back, but America mislaid absorption connected the struggle successful the chaos of the Iraq war.

For years, the U.S. sought an exit from Afghanistan. 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.

After the insurgents entered Kabul, Taliban negotiators discussed a transportation of power, said an Afghan official. The official, who spoke connected information of anonymity to sermon details of the closed-door 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.

Afghanistan’s acting defence minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, did not 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 Taliban earlier insisted that their fighters would not participate people’s homes oregon interfere with businesses and said they would connection “amnesty” to those who worked with the Afghan authorities oregon overseas forces.

But determination person been reports of revenge killings and different brutal tactics successful areas of the state the Taliban person seized successful caller days. Reports of gunfire astatine the airdrome raised the specter of much violence. 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.

An 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 volition beryllium capable to postgraduate successful 2 months. She said her procreation was “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 Jalalabad, 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 Air 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.

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Akhgar and Faiez reported from Istanbul and Gambrell from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Kathy Gannon successful Guelph, Canada; Joseph Krauss successful Jerusalem; ​Matthew Lee successful Washington; James LaPorta successful Boca Raton, Florida; Aya Batrawy successful Dubai; and Frank Jordans successful Berlin contributed to this report.