An Afghan soldier stands in a military vehicle on a street in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2021. Reuters/Stringer
The Taliban ordered its fighters to remain just outside the Afghan capital as it starts talks for a peaceful transition of power, cementing its renewed grip on the country two decades after the U.S. ousted it from power.
Fighters from the militant group entered the outskirts of Kabul on Sunday as the U.S. and other nations rushed to evacuate their citizens, the culmination of a three-week offensive in which the Taliban seized the bulk of territory in the country.
The Associated Press reported that Taliban negotiators were heading to the presidential palace in Kabul to prepare for a transfer of power.
The fundamentalist group’s forces now hold all of Afghanistan’s border crossings, leaving Kabul airport as the only route out, the AP reported.
"The Islamic Emirate instructs all its forces to stand at the gates of Kabul, not to try to enter the city,” the Taliban said in a statement on Sunday, referring to the group’s formal name.
"Negotiations are under way to ensure that the transition process is completed safely and securely, without putting the lives, property and honor of anyone in danger.”
The militant group has sought to reassure the country and the world that it will act responsibly as it prepares to resume power, following the swift collapse of a U.S.-trained Afghan army after President Joe Biden ordered American troops to withdraw by Aug. 31. Countries including the U.S., Canada, Germany and the U.K. have been moving to pull their diplomats out as the security situation worsens.
Russia, in contrast, said it’s not planning to evacuate its embassy in Kabul. Tass quoted a Taliban spokesman saying the group has good relations with Moscow.
"The world is watching in horror the results of Washington’s latest historical experiment,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a Telegram post Sunday.
On Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s office said on social media that national forces have Kabul "under control and there’s no need for the people to worry.”
In a nationally televised speech the night before, Ghani vowed not to abandon what he called the "achievements” of the past 20 years while pledging to regroup the country’s military. He also said he was in talks with world leaders as well as local politicians, but provided few details.
Biden on Saturday boosted the U.S. troop deployment in an attempt to ensure an "orderly and safe drawdown.” The AP reporting that helicopters landed at the American embassy compound in Kabul early Sunday.
Biden’s authorization adds about 1,000 U.S. personnel to the deployment of 3,000 Marines and soldiers announced this week and 1,000 troops already at the airport and the embassy, according to a defense official.
‘Our Joint Home’
Late Saturday, the Taliban released a lengthy statement seeking to reassure Afghans and the international community. It denied reports that it had killed prisoners and forced villagers to hand over their daughters to marry Taliban soldiers, while adding that the group would respect public property, redeploy bureaucrats and military officers, and provide amnesty for anyone who "helped the invaders.”
The Taliban also said it would avoid seizing private property and create "a safe and conducive environment” for business. It also said neighboring countries should have confidence: "We assure all our neighbors that we will not create any problems for them.”
"No one should leave their area and country,” the Taliban statement said, referring to those areas it had seized. "They shall live a normal life; our nation and country need services, and Afghanistan is our joint home that we will build and serve together.
