Taliban Seize Kabul and the Entire Country: How Power in Afghanistan Changed Hands in One Day

Afghanistan's president has left the country, and the Taliban have declared that the "war is over."

After US troops withdrew from Afghanistan, Taliban militants launched a rapid offensive. Each day they captured at least one provincial capital, and on August 15 they reached Kabul and announced that they had taken control of the entire territory of Afghanistan. 

We explain how power in Afghanistan changed hands in a single day. 

Evacuation of the US embassy and the "peaceful surrender of Kabul"

On the morning of August 15, amid reports of the Taliban offensive, US authorities announced the urgent evacuation of embassy staff from Kabul. The US special representative for Afghanistan reportedly urged the Taliban not to enter the city until the evacuation of American citizens (about 10,000 people) was complete. 

The Taliban said they had no intention of forcibly entering Kabul and wanted to take the city peacefully. At the same time, the militants warned residents that everyone must stay where they are and at home, and not try to leave Afghanistan. 

Foreigners were offered either to leave Kabul or to register their stay with Taliban representatives.

The administration of President Ashraf Ghani then assured Kabul residents that the situation in the capital was under the control of national and international forces. 

Militants seized the Bagram airbase and took control of a prison, from which they began freeing their supporters. Meanwhile, huge traffic jams of people wanting to leave formed in Kabul. 

Canada and Germany closed their embassies in Kabul and urgently evacuated their staff from the country. The French embassy moved to the territory of Kabul airport. 

The President of Afghanistan left the country

Media reported that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country with his associates. Accompanied by the head of his administration, Fazl Mahmood Fazli, and national security adviser Hamdullah Mohib, he reportedly headed to Tajikistan.

Later, Ghani said he had decided to leave to prevent bloodshed in the capital, where 6 million people live. According to him, Taliban rule in Afghanistan is illegitimate. 

Ashraf Ghani
President of Afghanistan

"The Taliban made it clear that they are ready to carry out a bloody offensive on Kabul and its residents and to expel me. To prevent bloodshed, I decided to leave." 

Later, information emerged that Ghani had gone to Oman. The NYT wrote that the president flew to Uzbekistan together with his wife and two advisers. Ashraf Ghani's exact whereabouts are unknown. 

Control of Afghanistan, as was initially reported, was handed to a council that included Abdullah Abdullah, head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, and former Afghan President Hamid Karzai. 

Later, media wrote that there would be no transitional government in the country and that power would be transferred directly to the Taliban. 

The Taliban entered Kabul and took over the presidential palace

Taliban militants said they had entered the presidential palace in Kabul. Footage appeared online showing them occupying the rooms and settling in. A Taliban representative said the movement would soon proclaim the establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in the country. 

That was the name of the country in 1996–2001, when it was under Taliban rule. 

Mohammad Naeem, spokesman for the Taliban's political office, said that the "war in Afghanistan is over" and called on the international community for peaceful relations. 

Mohammad Naeem 
spokesman for the Taliban's political office

We have achieved what we wanted — the freedom of our country and the independence of our people. We will not allow anyone to use our lands to target anyone, and we do not want to harm others. We ask all countries and organizations to sit down with us (at the negotiating table, ed.) to resolve any issues. 

He noted that the movement is ready to ensure the "safety of foreign citizens and diplomatic mission staff who are in the country." According to him, the Taliban see the fruits of their efforts and sacrifices over 20 years, and in exchange for non-interference, Afghanistan will adopt a policy of non-interference in the affairs of others. 

What's next

Officially, no clashes in Kabul have been reported, but information appeared online about gunshots near the airport and the presidential palace. Some hospitals reported receiving wounded people after shootouts in the outskirts of Kabul. 

US President Joe Biden held a meeting on the situation in Afghanistan with his national security advisers, but no official statements from the White House have been issued so far. 

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on the situation in the country on August 16. 

More than 60 countries called for allowing Afghan residents and foreigners to leave the country safely. They called for keeping roads, airports and border crossings open, and for maintaining calm in Afghanistan.