WEB DESK
Outgoing President Ashraf Ghani has left Afghanistan. President Ashraf Ghani’s departure comes hours after the Taliban ordered their fighters to the outskirts of Kabul and demanded a peaceful transfer of power.
Local media reported he left for Tajikistan. Taliban have taken control ‘multiple’ Kabul districts, most flights grounded.
The Taliban say they have entered multiple districts in Kabul to “ensure security.”
Reuters news agency cited a spokesman for the group as saying they now control the centers of 11 districts of the capital.
The claim came hours after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. Reuters also cited a NATO official as saying that all commercial flights to and from Kabul airport have been suspended and only military aircraft are allowed to operate.
The closure comes as US and European embassies attempt to evacuate their nationals and diplomatic staff.
Germany closes its embassy in Kabul
Pakistan closes border crossing
Taliban ‘take Bagram air base’
US starts evacuation of its embassy
Karzai to lead council to transfer power to Taliban. Afghan leaders have created a council to meet with the Taliban and manage the transfer of power, The Associated Press reports.
In a statement posted on social media by former president Hamid Karzai, he said the body will be lead by the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, as well as the leader of Hizb-e-Islami, Gulbudin Hekmatyar, and himself.
The statement said the move was “to prevent chaos and reduce the suffering of the people,” and to manage peace and a “peaceful transfer.”
In an open letter Sunday, major newspapers, public and commercial broadcasters including Deutsche Welle (DW), and the dpa news agency warned that “the lives of these freelance staff are now in acute danger.”
The outlets stressed that reporting from Afghanistan over the past two decades would have been “unthinkable without the efforts and bravery of the Afghan staff who supported us on the ground.”
Citing several recent fatal attacks on journalists, the letter said that due to the advance of the Taliban “it must be feared that such murders will now dramatically increase — and many of our staff are at risk.”
“Employees who want to leave the country face persecution, arrest, torture and death. We therefore ask you to act quickly.”
US embassy reports Kabul airport ‘taking fire’
The US Embassy in Kabul wrote on its website Sunday, “There are reports of the airport taking fire; therefore we are instructing US citizens to shelter in place.”
The AP reports the US military has evacuated the acting US ambassador to the Kabul airport. CNN adds the flag has been removed from the US Embassy.