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*.
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.
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