Talibans take over Kabul as Afghan president steps down
Taliban fighters entered the city of Kabul on Sunday, demanding the unconditional surrender of the central government.
Al Arabiya reports that Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani will abdicate in the next few hours after the Taliban came into the city limits.
Though the extremist group has said that it intends to take the city peacefully without harming civilians, several reports reveal that citizens and foreigners are fleeing the city, from people queuing at ATMs to withdraw money to helicopters evacuating staff from the U.S. Embassy.
An Afghan MP in Kabul, Farzana Kochai, told BBC that there were not many routes left to escape, as flights from the country were all filled.
“I don’t know, they can’t go anywhere, there’s nowhere left. The aircraft may be full and the flights from Kabul today, I checked with some friends who are going there, out of Kabul, like to India or any other neighboring countries,” Mr Kochai said.
The extremist group has made major advances across Afghanistan as the U.S. and other countries started withdrawing their troops from the country. The original date for the full withdrawal of U.S. forces in Afghanistan was September 11, to mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
The group has taken over most of southern, northern and western Afghanistan. Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province and the biggest city in the north, fell to the Taliban on Saturday, as regional leaders and security forces abandoned the city fleeing to Uzbekistan for safety.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
Faith
Court orders accelerated hearing in Christ Apostolic Church leadership tussle suit
The sixth respondent, First Bank Plc, was not represented by any counsel.
Anti-Corruption
Yahaya Bello asks Abuja court to set aside EFCC’s arrest warrant against him
The court on Wednesday ordered that the EFCC should be issued a warrant for Mr Bello’s arrest.
States
Man charged with stealing N1.2 million from dead man’s account
The prosecutor told the court that a son of the deceased, Daniel David, discovered the theft.
States
Jobless man in court for stealing N5.1 million worth of machines
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge.
States
Court remands 40-year-old man over alleged murder
The magistrate adjourned the case until May 30 for mention.
World
Germany arrests two suspected of spying for Russia
The duo was taken into custody on suspicion of espionage on Wednesday in the Bavarian city of Bayreuth.