The Taliban has entered the presidential palace in the capital city Kabul and is now in control of the entire country, according to a highly placed source. The group is soon expected to declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
An anonymous source inside the Afghan Defense Ministry confirmed the high ranking source’s report of the seizure of the presidential palace, which The Times of India has also reported.
President Ashraf Ghani left Kabul after stepping down from power on Sunday. Rumors of his resignation had been circulating since Friday, while fears of the Taliban attacking the capital were also high that night.
However, in a video message released on Saturday afternoon, Ghani didn’t announce his resignation but said negotiations were ongoing. The source inside the Defense Ministry told The Epoch Times that Ghani’s announcement meant he will not step down until the whole country surrenders or falls to the Taliban.
“All soldiers said their commanders, after receiving messages to surrender from Kabul decided to surrender,” said the source. It wasn’t however clear under what circumstances these orders were given, and this hasn’t been confirmed with additional sources.
“Two of the biggest army corps in west and north of Afghanistan surrendered without any resistance with all their armored vehicles. Each of them has over 10,000 personnel on their compounds,” said the source on Saturday night.
Kunar and Paktia provinces fell to the Taliban on Saturday and by Sunday morning there were many messages on social media about the Taliban coming to Kabul from different directions, as panic and uncertainty spread among the people in the capital. There were also rumors about a transitional government being formed.
By Sunday morning the Afghan media had started to report that two Taliban officials have told Reuters that they will take over power completely, and there’ll be no transitional government.
However, the Taliban in a statement in Pashtu released on the same day said that their fighters are ordered not to enter Kabul as they are “negotiating a peaceful transition of power” with the current government.
By Sunday night sources confirmed that the Taliban have entered the presidential palace and taken over Kabul and the country. They are soon to declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, sources said.
