Taliban takes over Afghanistan

On Sunday, the Taliban entered Kabul and seized the presidential palace as President Ashraf Ghani reportedly fled the country.

The US evacuated all Embassy personnel to the Hamid Karzai International Airport secured by the US Military. The US forces have also taken over Kabul’s air traffic control.

An additional 1,000 US troops will be deployed in Kabul to help the deteriorating security situation. A total of 6,000 US troops are now slated to head to Afghanistan.

The Taliban also captured Bagram Air Base and released 5,000 to 7,000 prisoners, including several al Qaeda operatives.

The UN Security Council had called an emergency meeting Monday morning where Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will brief the council.

In a social media post from an unknown location, Ghani wrote, “If I had stayed, countless of my countrymen would be martyred and Kabul would face destruction and turn into ruins that could result to a human catastrophe for its six million residents.”