By Emmanuel Nduka
Emerging reports on Sunday indicates that Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has left the country, according to local TV channel, Tolo News.
Sources who informed on condition of anonymity, told the TV channel on Sunday evening that Mr Ghani has left Afghanistan, amidst earlier reports of the Taliban making a grand entrance into Kabul, and taking over.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, tweeted that as the Kabul police abandoned the district police stations, the Taliban will enter the city to provide security for the countrymen and ensure law and order.
Meanwhile, there has been no comment from any government official yet.
Heritage Times had reported that Taliban fighters entered the city of Kabul on Sunday, demanding the unconditional surrender of the central government.
While the extremist group has said it intends to take over the city peacefully without harming civilians, several reports reveal that citizens and foreigners are fleeing the city. People were seen queuing at ATMs to withdraw money, while helicopters dropped down to evacuate staff from the U.S. Embassy.
Farzana Kochai, an Afghan MP in Kabul, told BBC that there were not many routes left to escape, as flights from the country were all filled.
“I don’t know, they can’t go anywhere, there’s nowhere left. The aircraft may be full and the flights from Kabul today, I checked with some friends who are going there, out of Kabul, like to India or any other neighboring countries,” Mr Kochai said.
The group began making major advances across Afghanistan after the U.S. and other countries started withdrawing their troops from the country. The original date for the full withdrawal of U.S. forces in Afghanistan is September 11, to mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
