Afghan president flees the country after Taliban return to Kabul
People walk near a mural of President Ashraf Ghani at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul yesterday. (AP pic)
KABUL: President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan today after Taliban fighters entered the capital Kabul, capping their return to power two decades after being forced out by US-led forces.
American diplomats were evacuated from their embassy by helicopters after the militants swept across Afghanistan in days with little resistance from local forces trained and equipped by the US and others for billions of dollars.
The Taliban urged government officials to stay, but officials said Ghani had left the country.
It was not clear where he was going: a senior interior ministry official said he had left for Tajikistan, while a foreign ministry official said it was not known which country he would land in.
A representative of the Taliban said the group was checking on Ghani’s whereabouts. Some local social media users branded him a “coward” for leaving them in chaos.
Taliban fighters reached Kabul “from all sides”, the senior interior ministry official told Reuters and there were some reports of sporadic gunfire around the city.
But there was no significant fighting and the group said it was waiting for the Western-backed government to surrender peacefully.
“Taliban fighters are to be on standby at all entrances to Kabul until a peaceful and satisfactory transfer of power is agreed,” said spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
Many Afghans fear the Taliban will return to past harsh practices in their imposition of Sharia, or Islamic law. During their 1996-2001 rule, women were not allowed to work and punishments such as stoning, whipping and hanging were administered.
Taliban sought to project a more moderate face, promising to respect women’s rights and protect both foreigners and Afghans.
Another spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, said the Taliban would protect the rights of women, as well as freedom for media workers and diplomats.
“We assure the people, particularly in the city of Kabul, that their properties, their lives are safe,” he told the BBC, saying a transfer of power was expected in days.
KABUL: President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan today after Taliban fighters entered the capital Kabul, capping their return to power two decades after being forced out by US-led forces.
American diplomats were evacuated from their embassy by helicopters after the militants swept across Afghanistan in days with little resistance from local forces trained and equipped by the US and others for billions of dollars.
The Taliban urged government officials to stay, but officials said Ghani had left the country.
It was not clear where he was going: a senior interior ministry official said he had left for Tajikistan, while a foreign ministry official said it was not known which country he would land in.
A representative of the Taliban said the group was checking on Ghani’s whereabouts. Some local social media users branded him a “coward” for leaving them in chaos.
Taliban fighters reached Kabul “from all sides”, the senior interior ministry official told Reuters and there were some reports of sporadic gunfire around the city.
But there was no significant fighting and the group said it was waiting for the Western-backed government to surrender peacefully.
“Taliban fighters are to be on standby at all entrances to Kabul until a peaceful and satisfactory transfer of power is agreed,” said spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
Many Afghans fear the Taliban will return to past harsh practices in their imposition of Sharia, or Islamic law. During their 1996-2001 rule, women were not allowed to work and punishments such as stoning, whipping and hanging were administered.
Taliban sought to project a more moderate face, promising to respect women’s rights and protect both foreigners and Afghans.
Another spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, said the Taliban would protect the rights of women, as well as freedom for media workers and diplomats.
“We assure the people, particularly in the city of Kabul, that their properties, their lives are safe,” he told the BBC, saying a transfer of power was expected in days.
I realise that I was too optimistic to think it wouldctake 6 months for the Taliban to take control of Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteThat the government forces collapsed so easily reflects 4 things:
1) the training given by the US army was inadequate or the Afghan forces did not take training seriously thinking perhaps the Western forces will always be there for support
2) the government forces did not have the fire in their belly to defend the land against the Taliban.
3) the US and other Western countries must have realised they were fighting an unwinnable war. Thus the withdrawal
4) while I can understand the withdrawal of Western forces, the fact remains the government were left high and dry..these government forces were dependent on these Western forces thus were "lost" without their security blanket.
5) those Afghan govt military forces r just mercenaries under the 'employments' of the foreign powers. So no paymasters, no fightings!
DeleteOne must ask why always west must help? No Arab or Muslim country offered a hand to rebuild Afghanistan. What did the 5000 yo Bully up north contribute? Bully Only know how to swoop in opportunistically when the west protected the entire country for 20 years against the Taliban. At the first sign of trouble Bully switch sides, welcome Taliban in Beijing, betray the civilized Afghans. Traitor Bully Only want to Belt and Road.
DeleteWhy the west must always help!
DeleteWho was/is asking for those helps?
Or were/r they uninvited interferences JUST for the demoNcratic west to showcase their spurious altruistic humanitarianism!
"when the west protected the entire country for 20 years against the Taliban"
Blurred mfer, DON'T keep regurgitate yr anglosphere purview of farts!
Perhaps, u SHOULD think about those innocent Afghan deads happened under those western military tour of 'honour' duties - aka Ozzie special forces!
Wakakakaka… what a pile of of hippo shit to parade yr understanding of B&RI. Prosper thy neighbours with trade IS never a better solution than western military interferences to enslave a 3rd world country!
Wow!!
Wow… wow… truly a dickhead.
Will New Bullies Trust and Try to Befriend Taliban (again).....?
ReplyDeleteQUOTE
China and Russia prepare to accept Taliban rule of Afghanistan
China, Russia, Pakistan and Turkey all appear set to formally recognise Taliban rule in neighbouring Afghanistan after the Islamist terror group seized the Presidential Palace in Kabul on Sunday and the country's embattled president fled for Tajikistan.
Most global powers are reluctant to recognise the rule of the militant group overthrown by US-led coalition forces in 2001, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warning that Afghanistan cannot be allowed to become a 'breeding ground for terror' again.
But Beijing and Islamabad could break rank in order to form closer ties with the likely new government, with Chinese state media preparing its people to accept the likely scenario that the ruling Communist Party might have to recognise the Islamist group.
In China, a series of photos were published last month by state media showing Foreign Minister Wang Yi standing shoulder to shoulder with visiting Taliban officials decked out in traditional tunic and turban in Tianjin.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said that there are no plans to evacuate the Russian Embassy in Kabul, with Russian state media reporting that the Sunni Islamist group formed after the Soviet withdrawal of Afghanistan has promised to guarantee the safety of its diplomatic staff.
'The organisation has 'good relations with Russia' and a 'policy in general to ensure safe conditions for the functioning of the Russian and other embassies,' news agency AP quoted Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban's political office, as saying to Tass.
And Iran, which has long been wary of the Sunni Muslim Taliban, has moved to ensure the safety of its diplomats and staff after previously offering to help end the crisis during talks in July.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (met) with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, political chief of Afghanistan's Taliban, in Tianjin, China July 28, 2021
The Taliban has said they will soon declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the presidential palace in Kabul as militants posed in the office....
...We'll get Britons out of Afghanistan ASAP says Boris Johnson as he finally breaks his silence on the chaos in the country....
UNQUOTE
Wakakakakakaka…
DeleteWhat's yr take of
"Most global powers are reluctant to recognise the rule of the militant group overthrown by US-led coalition forces in 2001"
???!!! Or just another c&p fart dug from yr bored daily routines?
Bcoz yr uncle Sam flee with his tail behind his legs aka Saigon escape! Thus MUST not rub sail into a fresh wound for their dage.
Ashram Ghani is a democratically elected President.
ReplyDeletePuppet ? Just your authoritarian regime-loving mentality showing through (as long as they are anti-US or call themselves Communist or Socialist)
Wakakakakaka…
Delete"authoritarian regime-loving mentality showing through (as long as they are anti-US or call themselves Communist or Socialist)"
Old moneyed mfer can't u see that demoNcratic elected govt CAN be an authoritarian regime under whatsoever tag u named it!
BTW, what % of the votes, vis-a-vis the population of Afghanistan did Ashram Ghani obtained?
Ashram Ghani is a demoNcratically elected Puppet to serve his western master in playing mideastern geopolitics!
Will 5000 yo Bullyland Betray the Afghan gomen that it had recognised since 2001 and recognize the Cruel Taliban instead?
ReplyDeleteIf the Taliban was democratically elected that would be ok, but this is the Taliban that destroyed the Bamiyan Buddha Statues, stone women to death, prevents young girls from attending school, conducts public beheadings, chop chop tangan etc. A civilization that claims to be 5000 years old should not be fren fren with Taliban.
FACT CHECK:
China did not formally recognize the Taliban government that held Kabul from 1996 to 2001. There was no embassy in Kabul during this time.
The current Afghanistan government and China established a formal diplomatic relationship in late 2001 shortly after the collapse of the Taliban regime, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai visited China for the first time in 2002. The Kabul embassy was re-opened in 2002, when the capital was under the protection of the Allied forces.
Karzai has made another three official visits to China since then, the most recent in March 2010
In July 2021 with the impending withdrawal of the Allied forces, Bullyland abandons the democratically elected Afghan gomen and welcomes Taliban to Beijing. In August Bullyland is close to formally recognising the Taliban as the legitimate gomen.
What Treachery.
The Allied Forces spent trillions of dollars and sacrificed thousands of lives to provide Bodyguard services to an entire country for 20 years. What did 5000 yo Bullyland Contribute?
"What Treachery"
Delete???
It's known as non-interference of the domestic politics of a foreign country!
Wakakakakaka…
"The Allied Forces spent trillions of dollars and sacrificed thousands of lives to provide Bodyguard services to an entire country for 20 years"
!!! Say that AGAIN to those innocent Afghans that had been tortured, killed like lambs - aka the Ozzie special forces - during their tour of 'honor' duties. & that's just the one that have been accidentally disclosed to the world!
China will contribute negotiated peace & harmony protocols to a war-torn nation as mentioned by Wang Yi. Just u wait & see lah.
Malay-sia has remained silent all this while as the elected gomen of Afghanistan is collapsing to the Cruel and Zalim Taliban.
ReplyDeletePAS is very quiet. No Bantuan Afghanistan like Bantuan Palestin to help the displaced civilians escaping the advancing Taliban. No auction of their second-hand cars either ha ha ha.
Or Will Malay-sia recognise Taliban as the gomen like 5000 yo Bullyland?
Which Taliban govt had/has China recognized?
DeleteA friendly visit to Tianjin by the current Taliban representatives DOESN'T constitute a diplomatic recognition UNTIL a format diplomatic protocol has established.
Blurred mfer, u r just twisting to fart as USUAL!
The democratically elected Afghan gomen has fallen to the Cruel Taliban. They oso occupy the Presidential palace.
Delete5000 yo Bullyland Embassy is still open for Business in Kabul. No evacuation at the airport like everybody else. That means they recognize Taliban gomen.
QUOTE
China says ready for 'friendly relations' with Taliban after rout
Issued on: 16/08/2021 - 12:10
Beijing has sought to maintain unofficial ties with the Taliban throughout the US' withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Beijing (AFP)
China is ready to deepen "friendly and cooperative" relations with Afghanistan, a government spokeswoman said Monday, after the Taliban seized control of the country.
Beijing has sought to maintain unofficial ties with the Taliban throughout the US' withdrawal from Afghanistan, which spurred an advance by the Islamist hardliners across the country that saw them capture the capital Kabul on Sunday.
China shares a rugged 76-kilometre (47-mile) border with Afghanistan.
Beijing has long feared Afghanistan could become a staging point for minority Uyghur separatists in the sensitive border region of Xinjiang.
But a top-level Taliban delegation met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Tianjin last month, promising that Afghanistan would not be used as a base for militants.
In exchange, China offered economic support and investment for Afghanistan's reconstruction.
On Monday, China said it "welcomed" the chance to deepen ties with Afghanistan, a country that has for generations been coveted for its geo-strategic importance by bigger powers.
"The Taliban have repeatedly expressed their hope to develop good relations with China, and that they look forward to China's participation in the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters.
"We welcome this. China respects the right of the Afghan people to independently determine their own destiny and is willing to continue to develop... friendly and cooperative relations with Afghanistan."
Hua called on the Taliban to "ensure a smooth transition" of power and keep its promises to negotiate the establishment of an "open and inclusive Islamic government" and ensure the safety of Afghans and foreign citizens.
China's embassy in Kabul remains operational, Hua said, although Beijing began evacuating Chinese citizens from the country months ago amid the deteriorating security situation.
In a statement Monday, the embassy told Chinese citizens remaining in Afghanistan to "pay close attention to the security situation" and stay indoors.
US President Joe Biden promised a complete withdrawal of US troops by September 11, marking an end to two decades of war.
But Washington was left shocked by the rapid collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban's sweeping advance.
China has repeatedly criticised what it sees as the US' hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan as a failure of leadership.
The Taliban's takeover opens a strategic door to China laden with both risk and opportunity.
Maintaining stability after decades of war in its western neighbour will be Beijing's main consideration, as it seeks to secure its borders and strategic infrastructure investments in neighbouring Pakistan, home to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
For Beijing, a stable and cooperative administration in Kabul would pave the way for an expansion of its Belt and Road Initiative into Afghanistan and through the Central Asian republics, analysts say.
The Taliban meanwhile may consider China a crucial source of investment and economic support, either directly or via Pakistan -– the insurgents' chief regional patron and a close Beijing ally.
China has so far stopped short of officially recognising the Taliban as the new leaders of Afghanistan, but Wang Yi called them a "decisive military and political force" during last month's meeting in Tianjin.
UNQUOTE
Wakakakakaka…
DeleteBlurred mfer, do a reconstruct of all yr f*cked Afghanistan thoughts to tie in with yr c&p trashes before fart AGAIN.
But then how to expect a deep-in-tranced DemoNcratic dickhead care about its writings. All these writings r just stored foul gaseous of China bashing, leaking out whenever an opportunity arise.
Just to make sure everybody understands the truth about the Taliban.
ReplyDeleteThere are idiots whose abhorrence of America is great they have taken to whitewashing the Taliban.
https://youtu.be/kNGHdNjxHnE
https://youtu.be/xlPWFvGJ_Go
https://youtu.be/4I5i66e0G9A
https://youtu.be/RW_7rUPWeQM
Before u fart about all those PAST atrocities of the Taliban in Afghanistan, have u ever thought about the originality for its creation?
DeleteOld moneyed mfer, 800 Talibans first raised the flag when a young girl was ill-treated by the then Afghan govt popped up by yr uncle Sam!
Along the way, some of these Taliban were misled, trained by yr uncle Sam to outplay his religions geopolitics.
Many too were zombieic zealots that were guided by that f*cked an-eye-for-an-eye & misogynistic dogmas!
Dickheads r everywhere when the right opportunities arise.
So DON'T be too sure about yr f*cked hippo shit!
"Hopes Taliban Stop Terrorism"
ReplyDeleteThis Bully-Lady must have found some Opium under her mattress and had a few puffs too many....ha ha ha...
QUOTE
China says it hopes Taliban will ‘ensure peaceful transition’ and ‘stop terrorism’
Ananth Krishnan
BEIJING, AUGUST 16, 2021
The Chinese Embassy is up and running with its ambassador and some staff....
China’s government said on Monday it hoped the Taliban would “fulfil its comment to ensure a smooth transition” and “curb all kinds of terrorism" in Afghanistan following its rapid takeover of the country.
“The situation in Afghanistan has undergone major changes and China respects the wishes and choices of the Afghan people,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in Beijing. "The war has lasted over 40 years. To stop the war and realise peace is the voice of the over 30 million Afghan people and aspiration of the international community and regional countries. We noted the statement from the Afghan Taliban yesterday [Sunday] saying the war is over and that they will start consultations for establishing an open, inclusive Islamic government, and will take necessary action to ensure the safety of Afghan citizens and the foreign diplomatic corps. We expect the Taliban to fulfill its commitment to ensure a smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan, curb all kinds of terrorism and criminal acts, keep the Afghan people away from wars and rebuild their beautiful homeland."
UNQUOTE
Aahhhh now I know why Bullyland love Taliban so much. They miss all that Opium that Britannia used to sell to them....ha ha ha...and Afghanistan is the NAMBAR 1 producer in the world.
ReplyDeleteQUOTE
Opium: Afghanistan’s drug trade that helped fuel the Taliban
Taliban are involved in all facets, from poppy planting, opium extraction, trafficking to charging smugglers export fees.
More than 80 percent of global opium and heroin come from Afghanistan
16 Aug 2021
The United States spent more than $8bn over 15 years on efforts to deprive the Taliban of their profits from Afghanistan’s opium and heroin trade, from poppy eradication to air attacks and raids on suspected labs....
...As the US wraps up its longest war, Afghanistan remains the world’s biggest illicit opiate supplier and looks certain to remain so as the Taliban is on the brink of taking power in Kabul, said current and former US and UN officials and experts.
Widespread destruction during the war, millions uprooted from their homes, foreign aid cuts, and losses of local spending by departed US-led foreign troops are fuelling an economic and humanitarian crisis that is likely to leave many destitute Afghans dependent on the narcotics trade for survival.
That dependence threatens to bring more instability as the Taliban, other armed groups, ethnic militia leaders, and corrupt public officials vie for drug profits and power.
Some UN and US officials worry Afghanistan’s slide into chaos is creating conditions for even higher illicit opiate production, a potential boon to the Taliban....
....With the Taliban entering Kabul on Sunday, “these are the best moments in which these illicit groups tend to position themselves” to expand their business, Gudes said.
UNQUOTE
Opium?
DeleteU DO mean yr auntie pommie's hippo shits that the US drug Lords r so deeply love!
Oooop… u didn't know that with the wars going on within Afghanistan the growth & supply of poppy, a key ingredient of heroin & morphine narcotics, has almost diminished to insignificant acreages.
The Taliban banned poppy growing in 2000 as they sought international legitimacy, but faced a popular backlash orchestrated by US drug lords to continue their demands for illicit opiate supplies!
Blurred mfer, US is the biggest heroin & morphine market in the world. & poppy growings fit into that supply & demand curve that those US drug Lords created.
Blurred mfer, keeps to do yr brain-dead c&p daily routines of those anglosphere purviews of FART. They spicebup yr lives with the demoNcratic hallucinogen u r so craving for!