KABUL: People climb atop a plane as they try to flee at Kabul airport yesterday. - AFP photos

KABUL: Victorious Taleban fighters patrolled Kabul yesterday after a stunningly swift end to Afghanistan's 20-year war, as thousands of people mobbed the city's airport trying to flee the group's feared hardline brand of Islamist rule. President Ashraf Ghani flew out of the country on Sunday night as the insurgents encircled the capital, capping a military victory that saw them capture all cities in just 10 days. "The Taleban have won with the judgement of their swords and guns, and are now responsible for the honor, property and self-preservation of their countrymen," Ghani said afterwards.

Kuwait yesterday said it is "gravely concerned" over the developments in Afghanistan, urging all parties involved to exercise maximum restraint in order to save lives and ensure the smooth exodus of foreign diplomats. Preserving the security and stability of Afghanistan, in addition to protecting the rights of its people, requires a collective effort on the part of all those involved, the foreign ministry underlined in a statement.

Taleban fighters patrol the streets of the capital yesterday.

Afghan government forces collapsed without the support of the US military, which invaded in 2001 after the Sept 11 attacks and toppled the Taleban for its support of Al-Qaeda. But the US ultimately failed to build a democratic government capable of withstanding the Taleban, despite spending billions of dollars and providing two decades of military support. Taleban fighters have taken over checkpoints across the city, and militants with rifles slung over their shoulders walked through the streets of the Green Zone, the heavily fortified district that houses most embassies and international organizations.

The Taleban sought to reassure the international community that Afghans should not fear them, and said they will not take revenge against those who supported the US-backed alliance. In a message posted to social media, Taleban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar called on his fighters to remain disciplined after taking control of the city. "Now it's time to test and prove. Now we have to show that we can serve our nation and ensure security and comfort of life," he said.

The Taleban's capture of the capital had occurred, as in many other cities, with little of the bloodshed many had feared. Washington was left shocked by the rapid collapse of the Afghan government, and critics say the United States' reputation as a global power has been badly tarnished. Britain's Defense Secretary Ben Wallace described the Taleban takeover as a "failure of the international community", assessing that the West's intervention was a job only half-done.

While the head of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU party, Armin Laschet, described the withdrawal as "the biggest NATO debacle since its founding". The US government has insisted in recent days that its two decades of war in Afghanistan was a success, defined by quashing the Al-Qaeda threat. US President Joe Biden said there was no choice but to withdraw American troops and he would not "pass this war" on to another president.

Former US president Donald Trump called for his successor Biden to resign on Sunday. "It is time for Joe Biden to resign in disgrace for what he has allowed to happen to Afghanistan," Trump said in a statement, also blasting him over a surge in COVID-19 cases in the United States and domestic immigration, economic and energy policies. Biden was to break his silence on the US fiasco in Afghanistan with an address to the nation from the White House yesterday. The UN Security Council was also set to hold an emergency session on Afghanistan yesterday, with the Taleban looking for formal recognition.

There were desperate scenes at Kabul's airport yesterday as frantic Afghans trying to flee the Taleban takeover clung to an American plane as it prepared to take off from Kabul airport, as thousands of people desperately searched for a flight out of the country yesterday. Dramatic footage posted on social media shows hundreds of men running alongside a US Air Force plane as it rolls down the runway, with some clinging to the side of it.

In other videos, civilians frantically clamber up an already overcrowded and buckling set of airstairs. Crowds watched on, as those who successfully climbed the stairs helped others up, while some hung from the stair railings by their hands. Panicked families with frightened children in tow and laden with luggage were trying to escape the incoming Taleban regime, two decades after the group's harsh rule was toppled by a US-led invasion. "I feel very scared here. They are firing lots of shots into the air," the witness said, asking not to be named in case it jeopardized his chances of leaving.

The US State Department said American troops had secured the perimeter of the airport as they evacuate embassy employees and thousands of Afghans who worked for Washington's interests since they toppled the Taleban in the wake of the Sept 11 attacks. The scenes at the airport were reminiscent of the chaos that enveloped Washington's earlier bungled escape from Vietnam in 1975, even as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected the comparison.

The US embassy in Kabul tweeted to tell American nationals and Afghans to "not travel to the airport". But thousands more Afghans - even some with no links to the US-led coalition - showed up in the hope of getting out, without tickets or visas for foreign destinations. "We are afraid to live in this city and we are trying to flee Kabul," said a 25-year old man who also asked to be identified only as Ahmed.

Many of the arrivals were fueled by rumors spread on social media. "I read on Facebook that Canada is accepting asylum from Afghanistan," said Ahmed. "Since I served in the army... there is danger. The Taleban would definitely target me." The US said it had evacuated its entire embassy staff to the airport, but they were being kept separate from those without permission to travel. Other videos posted on social media also showed desperate scenes overnight of people fighting to cram into the back of a cargo plane.

An Afghan military plane crashed in Uzbekistan, the Central Asian country's defense ministry said yesterday, while neighboring Tajikistan said over 100 Afghan soldiers had landed at one of its airports. The US government said yesterday it had secured the airport, but there was still chaos with witnesses reporting soldiers firing shots into the air to ward off crowds. A Pentagon official said in a later incident that US soldiers had shot dead two men in the crowd with weapons who had "brandished them menacingly". Authorities then cancelled all remaining commercial flights, citing the threat of looters.

The US had earlier released a statement with more than 65 nations urging the Taleban to let Afghans leave the country, warning of accountability for any abuses. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged the Taleban and all parties to "exercise restraint" and said the rights of women and girls must be protected.

China was the first major nation to flag support for the Taleban, stating it was ready for "friendly relations". Russia's ambassador to Afghanistan planned to meet with the Taleban today, with recognition to be determined on how they govern the country in the near future, a foreign ministry official in Moscow said. - AFP