The fall of Kabul appears imminent as Taliban fighters reportedly entered the Afghan capital on Sunday without encountering any significant resistance from what’s left of the country’s army or police force.
The evacuation of Americans from the U.S. embassy in Kabul has accelerated amid the pending Taliban takeover, the New York Times reported on Sunday. President Joe Biden has ordered a total of roughly 5,000 U.S. troops to help evacuate the embassy and some Afghans who have applied for visas.
The Taliban announced on Sunday that its fighters would enter Kabul allegedly to prevent looting and lawlessness. An unnamed senior Afghan government official told Reuters that the Taliban had entered Kabul “from all sides” on Sunday, but the extent to which the organization has advanced into Afghanistan’s capital remains unclear.
Taliban officials negotiated Kabul’s surrender with representatives of the Afghan government on Sunday, the Associated Press reported.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has reportedly fled the country for Tajikistan, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed senior Afghan interior ministry official. The Taliban has claimed that the current Afghan government will be responsible for security in Kabul until the Taliban formally assume control, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In a further sign that the war is ending, Afghan troops have surrendered Bagram Airfield, which once hosted a massive U.S. military presence, the Associated Press reported. Bagram’s fall in 1992 to Mujahideen insurgents marked the death knell of Afghanistan’s former communist regime.
The fate of tens of thousands of Afghans who had worked for the U.S. government and were hoping to be evacuated before Kabul fell appear to be grim. It was not immediately known how many would be rescued before the last U.S. aircraft leaves the city’s international airport.
This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as soon as more information becomes available.