Insurgent group Taliban on Monday declared that the war in Afghanistan is over as officials including President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.
Taliban took control of the presidential palace on Monday, thereby declaring victory. Taliban spokesperson Mohammad Naeem told Al Jazeera, “Today is a great day for the Afghan people and the mujahideen. They have witnessed the fruits of their efforts and their sacrifices for 20 years.”
“Thanks to God, the war is over in the country.” He added.
Naeem also said that the details about the new regime will be revealed soon. “We have reached what we were seeking, which is the freedom of our country and the independence of our people,” he said. “We will not allow anyone to use our lands to target anyone, and we do not want to harm others.”
A Taliban leader told Reuters that Taliban fighters had been “ordered to allow Afghans to resume daily activities and do nothing to scare civilians.”
“Normal life will continue in a much better way, that’s all I can say for now,” he added.
On Sunday, President Ghani on Facebook said that he left the country to avoid bloodshed. He also said that the Taliban is now facing a “new historical test”.
Embassy officials including US Ambassador Ross Wilson were transferred to the Kabul airport for evacuation. Rakhshanda Jilali, a human rights activist told Reuters that diplomats are given priority over civilians in the evacuation process.
“This is our airport but we are seeing diplomats being evacuated while we wait in complete uncertainty,” she said.
