Sputnik is live from Washington, DC, where White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan are briefing media on the recent developments in Afghanistan, as the Taliban regained control over the country's capital city, Kabul, thus, in their own words, putting an end to the 20-year-long US war in the nation.
It was earlier reported that Psaki would be out of the office between August 15-22, according to an automated email reply sent to journalists reaching out for comment on the situation at Hamid Karzai International Airport after footage showing people falling from an American plane taking off from Kabul — presumably Afghans trying to escape on the plane's landing gear – emerged online. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen blamed the United States for the incident.
On 15 August, the Taliban seized Kabul as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country to prevent what he described as bloodshed if the militants would have had to fight for the city.
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*The Taliban is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia and many other nations.