The Taliban took control of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan on August 15; occupying all key cities of the nation. The extremist Islamic military organization had been ousted from control in 2001. Since then, they had been trying to seize control of the state.
On August 6, Taliban forces entered Zaranj, marking the advent of capturing Afghanistan. Following this, they occupied 26 out of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial states. Amidst Taliban’s strengthened advances, President Ashraf Ghani fled the country yesterday. Following his departure, insurgents occupied the presidential palace.
In one of his statements on Facebook, Ghani said:
“The Taliban have won with the judgement of their swords and guns, and are now responsible for the honor, property and self-preservation of their countrymen”.
As per local reports, hundreds of people crowded near Kabul airport along with evacuating westerners in hopes of leaving the country. The chaos has since resulted in the death of five people trying to forcibly board the flights. The general atmosphere has become one of immense fear and panic with the presence of armed Taliban militants on the streets.
Evacuation of Officials
A number of diplomats have evacuated to their home countries as reported by the foreign ministry. As a result, the diplomatic presence of most foreign countries has drastically reduced, including Iran’s. Saudi Arabia has also called off of all diplomatic missions in Afghanistan.
UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres has also made a statement through a spokesperson. He conveyed that the Taliban must ensure that international humanitarian law and freedom of Afghanis is protected and preserved.
US Aid to Afghanistan
Biden’s government in the US has deployed 3,000 troops with a thousand additional soldiers to facilitate the evacuation process in Afghanistan. The troops consist of three infantry battalions from the army and marines. Their mission will involve ensuring a smooth evacuation process of the U.S. Embassy personnel.
Former President Donald Trump has criticized his successor Joe Biden for his “failure” to ensure a stable government set-up in Afghanistan. Furthermore, he asked president Biden to “resign in disgrace for what he has allowed to happen to Afghanistan”, in a statement.
Taliban’s Message to the World
Abdul Ghani Baradar – one of the senior-most officials of Taliban has addressed the media through a short video statement. He remarked that capturing Afghanistan is indeed a “swift victory”, adding that the “real test” has just begun referring to the task of serving the people of Afghanistan and resolving their issues.
The Uncertain Future for Afghans
The questions revolving around sovereignty of Afghanistan’s democratic institutions, LGBTQ+, women and religious minorities remain unanswered in the present scenario. Although they had promised “peaceful negotiations”, there has been several reports of rights violation of Afghanis. In two recent instances, female bank employees were prevented from entering their workplace by Taliban forces. The country is re-witnessing the influx of insurgents after nearly two decades of presidential rule, indicating a strong political turmoil. People have taken to social media to show concern over the possibility of an upcoming humanitarian crisis in the country.
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