{"id":54605,"date":"2021-08-15T13:50:04","date_gmt":"2021-08-15T13:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/08\/15\/taliban-enter-kabul-await-peaceful-transfer-of-power\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:49:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:49:55","slug":"taliban-enter-kabul-await-peaceful-transfer-of-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/08\/15\/taliban-enter-kabul-await-peaceful-transfer-of-power\/","title":{"rendered":"Taliban enter Kabul, await \u2018peaceful transfer\u2019 of power as Afghan president flees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) \u2014 Taliban fighters entered Kabul on Sunday and sought the unconditional surrender of the central government, officials said, as Afghans and foreigners alike raced for the exit, signaling t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2021\/08\/13\/kabul-may-not-be-a-combat-mission-in-name-but-its-certainly-dangerous\/\" target=\"_blank\">he end of a 20-year Western experiment<\/a> aimed at remaking Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The beleaguered Afghan government, meanwhile, hoped for an interim administration, but increasingly had few cards to play. Civilians fearing that the Taliban <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/religion-taliban-7ab054c063e4ea1c14be9e4811f42982\">could reimpose the kind of brutal rule that all but eliminated women\u2019s rights<\/a> rushed to leave the country, lining up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani joined the stampede of his fellow Afghans fleeing the country ahead of a Taliban takeover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Helicopters buzzed overhead to evacuate personnel from the U.S. Embassy, while smoke rose near the compound as staff destroyed important documents. Several other Western missions also prepared to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2021\/08\/14\/biden-orders-1000-more-troops-to-aid-afghanistan-departure-as-taliban-surge-toward-kabul\/\" target=\"_blank\">pull their people out<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2021\/08\/15\/living-in-fear-of-the-taliban-a-letter-from-a-former-afghan-translator\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"174\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Safar-Ali-2.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Living in fear of the Taliban: a letter from a former Afghan translator<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">An Afghan translator talks about being taken captive by the Taliban.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a stunning rout, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week, despite the billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and NATO over nearly two decades to build up Afghan security forces. Just days earlier, an American military assessment estimated it would be a month before the capital would come under insurgent pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, the Taliban swiftly defeated, co-opted or sent Afghan security forces fleeing from wide swaths of the country, even though they had some air support from the U.S. military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Sunday, the insurgents entered the outskirts of Kabul but apparently remained outside of the city\u2019s downtown. Sporadic gunfire echoed at times though the streets were largely quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Qatar\u2019s Al-Jazeera English satellite news channel that the insurgents are \u201cawaiting a peaceful transfer of Kabul city.\u201d He declined to offer specifics on any possible negotiations between his forces and the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But when pressed on what kind of agreement the Taliban wanted, Shaheen acknowledged that they were seeking an unconditional surrender by the central government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taliban negotiators were in Kabul on Sunday to discuss the transfer of power, said an Afghan official who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. It remained unclear when that transfer would take place and who among the Taliban was negotiating<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The negotiators on the government side included former President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, an official said. Abdullah has been a vocal critic of President Ashraf Ghani, who long refused giving up power to get a deal with the Taliban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the closed-doors negotiations, described them as \u201ctense.\u201d Karzai himself appeared in a video posted online, his three young daughters around him, saying he remained in Kabul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are trying to solve the issue of Afghanistan with the Taliban leadership peacefully,\u201d he said, while the roar of a passing helicopter could be heard overhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/08\/15\/biden-orders-1000-more-troops-to-aid-afghanistan-departure-as-taliban-surge-toward-kabul\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21210744614945.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Biden orders 1,000 more troops to aid Afghanistan departure as Taliban surge toward Kabul<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">U.S. troops will also help in the evacuation of Afghans who worked with the military during the nearly two-decade war.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Ghani appeared increasingly isolated. Warlords he negotiated with just days earlier have surrendered to the Taliban or fled, leaving him without a military option. Negotiations in Doha, Qatar, the site of a Taliban office, have failed to stop the insurgents\u2019 advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, acting Defense Minister Bismillah Khan sought to reassure the public that Kabul would remain \u201csecure.\u201d The insurgents also tried to calm residents of the capital, insisting their fighters wouldn\u2019t enter people\u2019s homes or interfere with businesses. They also said they\u2019d offer an \u201camnesty\u201d to those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo one\u2019s life, property and dignity will be harmed and the lives of the citizens of Kabul will not be at risk,\u201d the insurgents said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But there have been reports of revenge killings and other brutal tactics in areas of the country the Taliban have seized in recent days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Ghani flees<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Afghanistan\u2019s embattled president left the country Sunday, joining his fellow citizens and foreigners in a stampede fleeing the advancing Taliban and signaling the end of a 20-year Western experiment aimed at remaking Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Taliban, which for hours had been in the outskirts of Kabul, announced soon after they would move further into a city gripped by panic throughout the day as helicopters raced overhead to evacuate personnel from the U.S. Embassy. Smoke rose near the compound as staff destroyed important documents. Several other Western missions also prepared to pull their people out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Civilians fearing that the Taliban could reimpose&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/religion-taliban-7ab054c063e4ea1c14be9e4811f42982\">the kind of brutal rule that all but eliminated women\u2019s rights<\/a>&nbsp;rushed to leave the country as well, lining up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings. The desperately poor \u2014 who had left homes in the countryside for the hoped-for safety in the capital \u2014 remained in their thousands in parks and open spaces throughout the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ghani flew out of the country, two officials told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren\u2019t authorized to brief journalists. Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, later confirmed in an online video that Ghani had left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan, leaving the country in this difficult situation,\u201d Abdullah said. \u201cGod should hold him accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Feelings of betryal<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And on Sunday, panic set in as many rushed to leave the country through the Kabul airport, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/europe-middle-east-health-coronavirus-pandemic-kabul-beb4a264f9d74ba5f1d0e40607c5e773\">the last route out of the country<\/a> as the Taliban now hold every border crossing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One Afghan university student described feeling betrayed as she watched the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou failed the younger generation of Afghanistan,\u201d said Aisha Khurram, 22, who is now unsure of whether she\u2019ll be able to graduate in two months\u2019 time. \u201cA generation &#8230; raised in the modern Afghanistan were hoping to build the country with their own hands. They put blood, efforts and sweat into whatever we had right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rapid shuttle flights of helicopters near the U.S. Embassy began Sunday, a few hours after the militants seized the nearby city of Jalalabad \u2014 which had been the last major city besides the capital not in Taliban hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. decided a few days ago to send in thousands of troops to help evacuate some personnel, and two officials said Sunday that American diplomats were being moved from the embassy to the airport. Military helicopters shuttled between the embassy compound and the airport, where a core presence will remain for as long as possible given security conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The officials were not authorized to discuss diplomatic movements and spoke on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, wisps of smoke could be seen near the embassy\u2019s roof as diplomats urgently destroyed sensitive documents, according to two American military officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation. The smoke grew heavier over time in the area, home to other nation\u2019s embassies as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking to CNN on Sunday morning, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tried to push back against any comparison between the Afghan withdrawal and the one that came after the Vietnam War, saying: \u201cThis is not Saigon.\u201d However, he acknowledged the \u201chollowness\u201d of the Afghan security forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFrom the perspective of our strategic competitors around the world, there\u2019s nothing they would like more than see us in Afghanistan for another five, 10, 20 years,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s simply not in the national interest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NATO, meanwhile, said it was \u201chelping to maintain operations at Kabul airport to keep Afghanistan connected with the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Low-cost carrier FlyDubai said it would temporarily suspend flights to Kabul. It turned around a flight to the capital Sunday, as did Emirates. Emirates said an \u201cunforeseen temporary closure of the runway\u201d stopped it from landing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier in the day, militants posted photos online showing them in the governor\u2019s office in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Abrarullah Murad, a lawmaker from the province told The Associated Press that the insurgents seized the city after elders negotiated the fall of the government there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Afghan officials said the militants also took the capitals of Maidan Wardak, Khost, Kapisa and Parwan provinces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The insurgents also took the land border at Torkham, the last not in their control, on Sunday. Pakistan\u2019s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told local broadcaster Geo TV that Pakistan halted cross-border traffic there after the militants seized it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Later, Afghan forces at Bagram air base, home to a prison housing 5,000 inmates, surrendered to the Taliban, according to Bagram district chief Darwaish Raufi. The prison at the former U.S. base held both Taliban and Islamic State group fighters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Akhgar and Faiez reported from Istanbul and Gambrell from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Kathy Gannon in Guelph, Canada, Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem, James LaPorta and Matthew Lee in Washington, Aya Batrawy in Dubai, and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Taliban is seeking an unconditional surrender by the central 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