President Ashraf Ghani fled Afghanistan (Economist) yesterday as Taliban leaders broadcast a victory message from the presidential palace in Kabul. Ghani’s departure solidified the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country, which stunned Washington and triggered chaotic evacuation efforts at the Kabul airport. As panicked crowds swarmed planes (NYT) on the tarmac, Western countries pledged to support the exit of Afghans who aided the nearly twenty-year North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) mission in Afghanistan.
Ghani released a message yesterday acknowledging the Taliban’s military victory, while the interior minister said an agreement had been made for a peaceful transfer of power (NYT). Still, many Afghans said they remain fearful of reprisals under a Taliban government. The speed of the Taliban’s sweep across the country over the past two weeks surprised top U.S. officials, as many Afghan fighters apparently surrendered without resisting (WaPo). The United States has deployed thousands of troops to assist with securing the Kabul airport (ABC) as evacuations continue over the coming days.
Analysis
“[The Taliban] seem to have been planning for this for months, making both deals and threats, using networks they had built over the years. What initially looked like a lucky case of dominoes falling exceptionally fast because of an unprepared government seems to have been a case of sustained preparation,” the Afghanistan Analysts Network’s Martine van Bijlert writes.
“The hasty and poorly planned US withdrawal may not even provide sufficient time to evacuate now-vulnerable Afghans who worked with the US and Afghan governments. Beyond the local consequences, the grim aftermath of America’s strategic and moral failure will reinforce questions about US reliability among friends and foes far and wide,”
