Watch: Massive Traffic Jam as Afghans Try to Flee Kabul Ahead of Imminent Taliban Takeover
10:09 GMT 15.08.2021 (Updated: 11:39 GMT 15.08.2021)
© AP Photo / Hamed SarfaraziMembers of the Taliban, left, drive with other motorists through city of Herat, Afghanistan, west of Kabul, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, after the province was taken from the Afghan government. (AP Photo/Hamed Sarfarazi)
© AP Photo / Hamed Sarfarazi
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According to a media report, Taliban* forces have approached the Afghan capital and sent the group's envoys to negotiate a transfer of power from the current government. The same report suggests that President Ashraf Ghani is to resign in a matter of hours.
The streets of Kabul are bogged down in massive traffic jams as people are trying to leave the city en masse amid reports of an allegedly imminent takeover by the Taliban*.
Confusion on the streets in #Kabul as everyone is rushing to somewhere with rumors swirling about the Taliban arriving into town, causing massive traffic congestion. What takes 20 minutes would now take 2 hours to get anywhere. #afghanistan pic.twitter.com/OwYSA4GcXF
— Umar Sheikh (@umarmarve) August 15, 2021
The Taliban is in control of the exits from the city, but ordered its fighters to avoid violence and allow travellers unimpeded passage, the BBC reported. Reuters, in turn, said that some individuals have since chosen to abandon their vehicles and walk to Kabul Airport.
Media reports suggest that many shops and markets, as well as government offices, are currently closed in the city. Police officers were reported abandoning their posts as well. The BBC cited local residents as saying they have "never been so worried" in their lives.
🚨🚨🚨| BREAKING: Officials say Taliban now hold all of Afghanistan's border crossings, leaving Kabul airport as only route out. Road leading to Kabul airport is jam packed with traffic as people attempt to flee the country. #AfghanistanBurning #Afghan_lives_matter #Taliban
— Rustam Wahab (@rustamwahab_) August 15, 2021
Kabul remains the last major Afghan city under government control after the Taliban seized Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, and Jalalabad this week. However, that might not be the case for long because its forces have effectively surrounded the city. The terrorist organisation said it sent its representatives to negotiate a peaceful transfer of power promising not to take revenge on the officials who surrender. A Reuters report suggested that President Ashraf Ghani might step down within a matter of hours, while former Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali will be tapped as the head of the transitional government.
*The Taliban is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia