UK calls for NATO and UN to convene, Afghan president flees

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for NATO and the UN to convene in high profile meetings following the Aghan president fleeing the country as the Taliban seizes control of Kabul.

“The prime minister called for meetings of NATO’s North Atlantic Council and the UN Security Council to take place as soon as possible to enable high-level international discussions on these issues,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

Two Taliban officials told Reuters on Sunday there would be no transitional government in Afghanistan and that the group expects a complete handover of power.

President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan after Taliban fighters entered the capital Kabul earlier on Sunday, capping their return to power two decades after being forced out by US-led forces. As they entered Kabul, the US embassy in Afghanistan reported that Kabul airport has been taking fire.

When asked for comment, the president’s office said it “cannot say anything about Ashraf Ghani’s movement for security reasons”.

Top Afghan peace official Abdullah Abdullah described Ashraf Ghani as Afghanistan’s former president in a video message on Sunday.

He blamed Ghani for the current situation in Afghanistan, hours after Taliban insurgents entered the capital Kabul.

A representative of the Taliban, which entered the capital Kabul earlier on Sunday, said the group was checking on Ghani’s whereabouts.

Ghani will relinquish power in the coming hours as Taliban invaded Kabul on Sunday, and a new Taliban-led government will be formed in the coming hours, according to Al Arabiya.

Taliban’s Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is preparing to arrive in Afghanistan, according to an official in Doha. Earlier, acting Interior Minister Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal said in a televised address that a peaceful transition would take place but no details have as yet been confirmed.

Ali Ahmad Jalali, a US-based academic and former Afghan interior minister, is likely to be named to head an interim administration in Kabul, three diplomatic sources said on Sunday as Taliban fighters gathered around the city.

It was not immediately clear whether the Taliban had given their final agreement to Jalali’s appointment but he was seen as a potentially acceptable compromise figure to oversee the transition of power, the sources said.

Taliban fighters have completely encircled Kabul, according to a Taliban official. Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, as well as Afghan hospitals, will continue to function as usual, he stated.

“We don’t want a single, innocent Afghan civilian to be injured or killed as we take charge,” the official told Reuters. “But we have not declared a ceasefire,” he added. The official called on Afghan forces to stop gunfire and allow a safe passage out of Kabul to all civilians and foreigners. He also noted Mujahideen have not killed or injured anyone in Kabul yet.

“We assure the people, particularly in the city of Kabul, that their properties, their lives are safe,” the spokesman said in an interview with the BBC. “Our leadership had instructed our forces to remain at the gates of Kabul, not to enter the city.”

The spokesperson has commented on several aspects of the future government, as they prepare for a peaceful transition of power.

The spokesperson said that police and officials in Kabul have fled.

Taliban’s policy on punishments, such as execution, stoning, and amputation will be up to courts, the spokesperson said. In addition, Afghan media will be allowed to criticize anyone, according to the spokesperson, who has also warned the media of “indulging in character assassination.”

On the future Taliban government’s policy towards women, they stated Afghan women will be allowed to leave homes alone, as well as have access to education and work. In addition, Taliban “does not intend to take revenge on government and military personnel, and all those who have served the state will be forgiven,” according to the spokesperson.

Afghan civilians who want to leave the country due to fear were asked to remain in Afghanistan. “Foreigners in Kabul should leave if they wish to, or register their presence in the coming week with Taliban administrators,” an official said.

— Times Fact check (@MalikRoxk) August 15, 2021

An Afghanistan government delegation, including senior official Abdullah Abdullah, will travel to Qatar on Sunday to meet with representatives of the Taliban, an Afghanistan negotiator said.

Fawzi Koofi, a member of the Kabul negotiating team, confirmed to Reuters the delegation would meet with the Taliban in the Gulf state.

A source familiar with the matter told Reuters the Afghan delegation and Taliban representatives would discuss a transition of power, adding that US officials would also be involved.

A number of gunshots were heard around Kabul. according to the Afghan President’s Office Twitter account, Afghanistan’s security and defense forces currently have the situation under control.