The U.S. Embassy in Kabul is being evacuated Sunday morning. The staff is being moved quickly to the airport as the Taliban now has the city surrounded. Kabul was the last city in Afghanistan to be controlled by the government. The Washington Post reports from the Afghan capital:
Taliban forces entered Kabul through the city’s four main gates Sunday morning, according to two Afghan security officials and civilian eyewitness accounts, in a move that could trigger the collapse of the national government and signal a return to power for the Islamist group two decades after the United States invaded Afghanistan.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that the group’s fighters had been instructed not to push further into the city with force. The militants had made recent gains after negotiating with local leaders. “We want to enter Kabul with peace, and talks are underway” with the government, he said.
The Guardian writes:
Wisps of smoke were observed near the embassy roof, as diplomats urgently destroyed sensitive documents, US military officials told the Associated Press. British embassy staff were also scrambling to leave the country, with the ambassador due to fly out.
The Kabul airport is reportedly jammed with travelers trying to escape the city. Many of the major roads in the capital are impassable, clogged with cars.
The New York Times adds perspective:
The Taliban offensive, which started in May when the United States began withdrawing troops, gathered speed over the past week. In city after city, the militants took down Afghan government flags and hoisted their own white banners.
Despite two decades of war with American-led forces, the Taliban have survived and thrived, without giving up their vision of creating a state governed by a stringent Islamic code.
UPDATE: Several U.S. news organizations are reporting Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has left the country.