The Taliban will soon declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the presidential palace in Kabul, a spokesperson from the military organization said.
Afghanistan will revert to the IEA 20 years after the United States ousted the Taliban government in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. A spokesperson for the Taliban confirmed the plans to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
After about a weeklong military surge that has led to the Taliban capturing nearly all of Afghanistan, President Ashraf Ghani flew out of the country on Sunday morning, Afghan National Reconciliation Council chief Abdullah Abdullah said in a video, paving the way for the Taliban to take control of Kabul. The American flag at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul was also removed as personnel at the location fled to a nearby airport, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
SCALISE CALLS TALIBAN ENCROACHMENT BIDEN’S ‘SAIGON MOMENT’
Reports that the airport was taking fire led embassy officials to instruct U.S. citizens to shelter in place. A small number of diplomats will remain in the Kabul airport for now, the source added.
A Western official at the scene confirmed “gunfire at the airport” to the Washington Examiner.
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The expected IEA declaration comes amid the full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, however, on Thursday, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the U.S. would not be issuing a “wholesale withdrawal” from the nation.
The American flag at the US embassy in Kabul has been taken down, marking a final step in the embassy evacuation, source tells me. State Dept Spox said on Thurs that the US drawdown of diplomats was not an evacuation. Now, 3 days later, the evac is on the verge of completion.
— Kylie Atwood (@kylieatwood) August 15, 2021
“This is not abandonment. This is not an evacuation. This is not the wholesale withdrawal. What this is (is) a reduction in the size of our civilian footprint,” Price said during a department briefing. “The embassy remains open, and we plan to continue our diplomatic work in Afghanistan,” Price added.
On Sunday morning, a U.S. Embassy official said that “The embassy continues to function,” according to Reuters. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also clarified that U.S. personnel were moved from the embassy to the airport “to ensure they can operate safely and securely.”
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President Joe Biden upped the number of U.S. troops aiding in airlifts for U.S. personnel and Afghan allies to 5,000 on Saturday.
