A senior Taliban official has claimed victory in a speech from inside the Presidential Palace as thousands of Afghan nationals and foreigners desperately try to get out of the country.
In a video released Wednesday evening, Mullah Baradar lauded the capture of Kabul and the overthrow of the president as a “unrivalled feat.”
He acknowledged that the rapid takeover was surprising, but said the ‘real test’ of competent governance ‘begins now.’
This weekend, British troops were flown into the city to evacuate UK citizens, while the US ordered an additional 1,000 troops.
Thousands of people lined up at Kabul Airport in a desperate attempt to flee Afghanistan and the Taliban fighters.
Despite the Taliban’s promise of a “smooth transition of power,” there were reports of sporadic gunfire near the airport on Sunday.
The Taliban, according to a spokesman, do not believe foreign forces will “repeat their failed experience in Afghanistan.”
They allege that the militant group is having talks aimed at building a ‘open, inclusive Islamic Government,’ amid fears that many Afghans will be subject to more severe treatment.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he left to avoid ‘a bloody attack on all of Kabul’.
In a statement, he continued: ‘The Taliban have won the sword and gun judgment and are now responsible for protecting the honor, property and self of their compatriots.
‘But the legitimacy of hearts did not win them over. Never in history has dry force given legitimacy to anyone and never will.
‘They are now up against a new historical challenge.’ Either the name and honor of Afghanistan will be maintained, or other areas and networks will be prioritized. Many people from all walks of life are afraid of the future and have lost trust in it.
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