Doha (Qatar): A senior Taliban leader said the group's victory, which he described as unexpected, mustn't make them arrogant. In a statement posted by a spokesman on YouTube, the movement's co-founder, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, said they were going to "get involved in the service of our nation day by day".
Baradar spoke from Doha, where the Taliban maintains an office, as their fighters entered the presidential palace in Kabul hours after the country's embattled president Ashraf Ghani fled. As night fell, Taliban fighters deployed across Kabul took over abandoned police posts and pledged to maintain law and order during the transition.
Residents reported looting in parts of the city, including in the upscale diplomatic district, and messages circulating on social media advised people to stay inside and lock their gates. The city was meanwhile gripped by panic, with helicopters racing overhead throughout the day to evacuate personnel from the US Embassy.
Taliban fighters overran much of the country in a stunning week-long offensive despite the billions of dollars spent by the US and NATO over nearly two decades to build up Afghan security forces.
(AP)
