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Taliban claim there will be no forcible takeover of Kabul and that the people will be secure; they seek a peaceful handover of the city.
According to Reuters, the Taliban is in negotiations with the Afghan government for a “peaceful surrender” of Kabul.
Afghanistan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani is about to announce his resignation, according to people close to him, according to CNN-News18. The arrangement for his departure from power has been finalized, and Ghani will shortly make an announcement of his resignation, according to insiders, who added that power will be turned over to a “third party” for the time being.
On Sunday, as Taliban militants approached the outskirts of Kabul, the Taliban leadership stated that the lives of Kabul residents are secure since the insurgent organization would not seize the Afghan city by force and is in talks with the government for a peaceful surrender. According to Reuters, the Taliban is in negotiations with the Afghan government for a “peaceful surrender” of Kabul.
This comes a day after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani spoke to Afghan citizens, saying that the Afghan leadership is mobilizing the army and that the situation would not be allowed to develop further. He stated that he was in negotiations with foreign leaders and that during back-to-back meetings on Saturday, it was determined that an authoritative delegation would negotiate a ceasefire and an interim arrangement with Taliban leadership.
Taliban commanders meeting with the government in Doha say fighters had been ordered to station themselves at Kabul’s access points. While the Taliban have not used force in Kabul, Afghan troops must immediately cease firing and let all civilians and foreigners passage, the Taliban leader told Reuters.
“We do not intend to take revenge on anyone. All those who have served the government and military will be forgiven,” Reuters was informed by a Taliban spokesman. Residents of Kabul should not be alarmed, according to a Taliban spokesperson, who also urged Afghan citizens not to flee the country due to fear.
As the militant group neared the capital on Saturday, it was just a matter of time until the Taliban advanced. Jalalabad, Afghanistan’s last major city not held by militants save the capital, fell to the Taliban early Sunday, and militants uploaded photographs online of themselves in the governor’s office in Jalalabad. According to the Afghan Presidential Palace, gunfire was heard at a number of locations across Kabul about midday on Sunday, but security forces were in control of the city. Officials from the United States stated they were transporting diplomats from the embassy to the airport and that more military was being dispatched to assist with the evacuation.
