Taliban declares ‘war is over’ in Afghanistan, five killed at chaotic Kabul airport as Afghans attempt to flee - The Globe and Mail

A man pulls a girl to get inside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan August 16, 2021.

STRINGER/Reuters

The Taliban declared the war in Afghanistan was over on Monday after they took control of the presidential palace in Kabul.

In a video released from the Taliban in an unidentified location, deputy leader Mullah Bararda Akhund made their address:

“We congratulate the great victory to the whole Afghan nation especially to the people of Kabul and to our Mujahideens. The way we have come through was unexpected as we have reached the position which was never expected. But, with the help of Allah, that he has given us, the victory and there is nothing like this in the history of the world, so we should thank Allah.”

It has taken the Taliban just over a week to seize control of the country after a lightning sweep that ended in Kabul.

Kabul safe houses set up by Canadians for Afghan interpreters under threat of collapse

A fearful silence descends on Afghanistan

The Taliban are reconquering Afghanistan. How did we get here?

Afghan forces, trained for years and equipped by the U.S. at a cost of billions of dollars – faded away.

On Sunday, President Ashraf Ghani fled the country saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed.

Hundreds of Afghans flooded Kabul’s airport in the dark, desperate to leave on one of the last commercial flights before U.S. forces took over air traffic control.

Five people were killed in chaos at Kabul airport on Monday, witnesses said, as people tried to flee a day after Taliban insurgents seized the Afghan capital and declared the war against foreign and local forces over.

It was not immediately clear how the victims died. A U.S. official said troops had fired in the air to deter people trying to force their way onto a military flight that was set to take U.S diplomats and embassy staff out of the fallen city.

One witness, waiting for a flight out for more than 20 hours, said it was unclear if the five had been shot or killed in a stampede. U.S. officials at the airport were not immediately available for a comment.

In a social media video, three bodies could be seen on the ground near what appeared to be an airport side entrance. Reuters could not verify the footage. Another witness said he had also seen five bodies.

The frantic disorder included people swarming around and clinging to a U.S. military transport plane as it taxied on the runway, according to footage posted by a media company.

Taliban fighters stand guard on the road to the Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. Thousands of people packed into the Afghan capital's airport on Monday, rushing the tarmac and pushing onto planes in desperate attempts to flee the country after the Taliban overthrew the Western-backed government.

Rahmat Gul/The Associated Press

A Taliban leader told Reuters that the insurgents were regrouping in different provinces, and would wait until foreign forces had left the country before creating a new governance structure.

The leader, who requested to be anonymous, said Taliban fighters had been “ordered to allow Afghans to resume daily activities and do nothing to scare civilians.”

Many Afghans fear the Taliban will return to past harsh practices in their imposition of sharia, or Islamic religious law.

During their rule from 1996 to 2001, women could not work and punishments included stoning and hanging.

The Taliban appears to be trying to project a moderate image in statements and to media outlets.

A spokesman told the BBC that women will have access to education and work.

Meanwhile, U.S. Present Joe Biden has faced rising domestic criticism – after sticking to his predecessor Donald Trump’s plan to end America’s longest war, launched two decades ago.

The U.S ferried embassy staff out by helicopters on Sunday.

And the Pentagon authorized another 1,000 troops to help evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghans who worked for them.

Adblock test (Why?)

Taliban declares ‘war is over’ in Afghanistan, five killed at chaotic Kabul airport as Afghans attempt to flee - The Globe and Mail
Read More