Afghanistan: Ashraf Ghani leaves country

Sources told Tolo News President Ghani has left the country.

The head of Afghanistan's Supreme Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, confirmed on Sunday that President Ashraf Ghani had abdicated and left the country.

In a Facebook video message, Abdullah also called on Afghan forces to ensure security in the country and urged citizens to remain calm as the country is going through a coup.

Meanwhile, Chinook helicopters flew several sorties from the US embassy to Kabul airport on Sunday to pull out US diplomatic staff, as the US stepped up evacuation of its personnel with the Taliban having gained complete control of Afghanistan.

According to reports, the US is completely pulling out all personnel from the embassy in Kabul over the next 72 hours.

Videos showed Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters flying in sorties over the embassy and landing there to pull out US staff.

Clouds of smoke could be seen rising over the embassy, reportedly because the US diplomatic staff were incinerating all sensitive documents before emptying the embassy.

The Chinook helicopters, which arrived on Saturday night, also flew in the sky to keep watch as a posse of cars from the US embassy headed towards the airport.

Most of the US diplomats are to fly back to America.

Earlier, US President Joe Biden authorised an additional 1,000 American troops for deployment to Afghanistan, taking to nearly 5,000 the number of US troops, to ensure an “orderly and safe drawdown” of US and allied personnel.

In a statement, Biden said he has conveyed to the Taliban representatives in Doha “that any action on their part on the ground in Afghanistan, that puts U.S. personnel or our mission at risk there, will be met with a swift and strong U.S. military response”.

Meanwhile the UK said it is working to help its citizens and other eligible former UK staff to leave Afghanistan, the UK Home Office said on Twitter.

The Home Office said its officials have already resettled over 3,300 Afghan staff and their families.

“The Home Office has already resettled over 3,300 Afghan staff and their families who have worked for the UK. We will continue to fulfil our international obligations and moral commitments,” it said.

“Home Office officials are right now working to protect British nationals and help former UK staff and other eligible people travel to the UK,” it said. 

The German Embassy in Kabul has closed down after the Taliban surrounded the Afghan capital, the Foreign Office said on Sunday, urging citizens to leave the country.

"The security situation has seriously deteriorated. The German Embassy in Kabul has been closed since August 15, 2021. The passenger terminals of Kabul International Airport are also closed," the ministry said in a statement.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tweeted that the embassy staff had been transferred to the military unit of the Kabul airport.

The first Bundeswehr military aircraft will leave for Afghanistan on Sunday to evacuate German nationals, according to the German media.

Meanwhile, two Taliban sources have confirmed to CNN that the group has taken control of the large prison east of Kabul known as Pul-e-Charki.

According to media reports, the Taliban forces have been given green light to enter certain districts of the Afghan capital of Kabul.

The Taliban said in a statement that this would prevent looting and violence in areas from which the government security forces had left.