By Janet Ekstract
ISTANBUL (TURKISH JOURNAL)- Kabul is now surrounded by Taliban fighters at its gates while U.S. helicopters rush to evacuate embassy personnel. Reports from Al-Jazeera indicate there are plumes of smoke from the U.S. embassy compound where officials are burning sensitive documents prior to the American exit from Kabul. The Afghan interior minister quoted by an Afghan news agency said there will be a peaceful transfer of power in Kabul.
Meanwhile, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is under pressure to resign and is currently in emergency talks in Kabul with Ambassador Khalilzad and top NATO officials about a transfer of power with the Taliban. A Taliban delegation are also in the meetings and have said they do not want to take Kabul by military force. Taliban officials have instructed their fighters to allow anyone who wants to exit Kabul, to leave and not to fire or attack, simply to wait on the outskirts of Kabul. Those officials have also pledged that Afghan government officials will not be targeted.
In the meantime, Al-Jazeera and TRT World report that President Ghani will have to resign in a Taliban takeover. Exactly who will actually replace Ghani, isn’t clear yet. Reports are that the Taliban want a deal where there is a surrender. There are also news reports out of Afghanistan that ever since all prisoners at the Bagram prison were released that the Taliban are trying to control ISIL fighters who were part of those released. According to current news reports, many of the Bagram prisoners represent a multitude of different factions who all have conflicting goals. As analysts in the region report, they are likely to present a threat.
Experts on the region explain that now Afghanistan has become a “vacuum” for all those jockeying for power. That includes ISIS, Iran, Pakistan, China and Russia who all want to push their influence in the country. Al-Jazeera’s Sami Zeidan said its reporters have directly spoken to a Taliban spokesman in Afghanistan who assured the channel that fighters will not fire on anyone and guaranteed safe passage for anyone wanting to leave. NATO says its staff have moved to a safer, undisclosed location in Kabul. Now that a transition plan was created, Al-Jazeera reports that former president Karzai plans to take the transition plan to the Taliban political chief in Doha. Muhammad Suhail Shaheen, the international Taliban spokesman in Qatar was quoted on Al-Jazeera saying: “We are talking, awaiting a peaceful transfer of Kabul City.” Afghan’s interior ministry made a public statement to Afghani citizens and said the security of Kabul has been guaranteed to ensure stability and order. Analysts report the situation is tense and that any Taliban military takeover at this point would descend into chaos. There is a huge concern about the fate of women’s rights and human rights when the Taliban take over. Female students at universities were told to return home until a decision is made whether they can return. A majority of Afghans are fleeing the country because as analysts say the future with the Taliban is uncertain. Experts report that many Afghans believe the Taliban haven’t changed regardless of any assurances they have been given from them.
