Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani has left the country with his core team on Sunday as Taliban terrorists entered capital Kabul. A senior interior ministry official told in an interview the Taliban rebels were coming "from all sides" into the capital but gave no further details. There were no reports of fighting.
The United States evacuated diplomats from its embassy by helicopter and a government minister said power would be handed over to an interim administration.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that the group was in talks with the government for a peaceful surrender of Kabul.
"Taliban fighters are to be on standby on all entrances of Kabul until a peaceful and satisfactory transfer of power is agreed," the statement said. The entry into the capital caps a lightning advance by Taliban who were ousted from Kabul 20 years ago by the United States after the September 11 attacks.
Who are Taliban?
Taliban is an extremist group believably depending on Soviet Union-era arms and opium smuggling to maintain their supremacy. There is commitment derived from a particular religion, pride and self-belief which has made the group stronger, making them the cause of concern of several nations.
Taliban in the Pashto language means group of students. The group emerged in northern Pakistan after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan in the early 1990s.
Initially, Taliban were predominantly from Pashtun-speaking groups. They are Sunni Muslims, and the majority of them have had theological training in Madrasas or Islamic seminaries. For them, the manner of life should be by their interpretation of Islam, which differs from other groups in Afghanistan and Muslims across the world.
Taliban’s interpretation of Islam is quite strict, refusing to take changing social reality into account. Their social, political, and economic systems are all based on Islamic values. Several modern Islamic intellectuals have expressed their criticism to such an interpretation of religion, calling it destructive to the worldwide image of Islam.
Taliban advocate for severe punishments such as public executions for convicted murderers and adulterers, as well as amputations for those found guilty of stealing.
Also read: Explained: Who are Taliban & Why are some countries talking to them now?
During the prior regime, men were obliged to grow beards and women were required to wear the all-covering burqa, but now many Muslim-majority countries no longer have these laws in effect. Some nations, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, which have Sharia-based laws, have also condemned the Taliban's way of life.
Their objection to schools for girls beyond the age of ten, the prohibition of music, and a slew of other human rights violations made them a vile group of extremists.
Why is Afghanistan worried?
The majority of Afghans who are educated and live in cities are concerned. Many of them had sighed with relief and fantasized about a future Afghanistan that would be free from the threat of Taliban.
Taliban had always threatened to return to power once foreign forces leave and now with the US withdrawal, they are standing at the gates of Kabul.
Afghans now worry that the Taliban will destroy the country once again and there will be more bloodshed as it may target supporters of the democratically elected Afghan government as well as foreign troops attempting to keep the peace.