With Ghani out of picture, Taliban waltz into Kabul presidential palace

Not long after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani flees the country to safety, the Taliban militant group tops its exponential advances in the country by running into the presidential palace in the capital Kabul.

In early Monday, pictures emerged across countless media outlets showing the militants sitting right where until days earlier, the head of state used to assure people of his efforts to secure the country against renewal of the group’s rule.

The militants have for months been leading an exceptionally forceful offensive countrywide. 

Despite their initial denials, including their reluctance to take over Kabul, the campaign soon became apparent to be aimed at restoring their full grip on the country that was temporarily lost after the United States’ 2001 invasion. 

The US only helped the matters amid the chaos, saying in April that it sought to enable a complete withdrawal from the Central Asian country. 

The simultaneity of the two developments have given rise to numerous reports and speculations that Washington could have made an agreement with the militants to bring about the situation. 

Taliban seek peaceful transfer of power in 'next few days': Spokesman

A Taliban spokesman says the group is looking forward to a peaceful transition of power in the next few days.

‘No transitional govt.’

ABC News cited the interior ministry as alleging that power was to be handed over to a “transitional government.”

The Taliban denied the prospect, but still insisted “they were waiting for a peaceful surrender.”

"We are ready to have a dialog with all Afghan figures and will guarantee them the necessary protection," he said.

Taliban: War is over

The group alleged through remarks made by its political office spokesman, Mohammad Naeem that the war was over in Afghanistan and the type of rule and the form of the regime would be clear soon.

Naeem said no diplomatic body or any of its headquarters had been targeted, and assured everyone it would provide safety for citizens and diplomatic missions.

“He said the group was keen on having peace with everyone,” the network added.

US denies ‘repeat of Saigon’

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meanwhile, dismissed all denouncement of his country’s flash departure from Afghanistan.

"This is manifestly not Saigon," he said in reference to the US’s actions in Vietnam.

However, despite Taliban’s assurance of protection for diplomatic staffers, the country airlifted the staff out of Afghanistan and even brought down the American flag that used to billow atop the mission.

The US’s military and political abandonment of the beleaguered nation is not the only area, where it faces criticism over, what observers call, its self-serving attitude towards it.

Washington has also been asked time and again how come its two decades of allegedly training the Afghan security forces had not helped Afghanistan to even slow down the militants’ advances.

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