The Taliban penetrated Kabul’s defenses, entering the last major Afghan city under government control
KABUL—The Taliban on Sunday began penetrating the defenses of the Afghan capital of Kabul, the country’s last big urban area that remained under tenuous government control, after earlier capturing the eastern city of Jalalabad.
The Taliban in a statement said that they wouldn’t enter Kabul by force. The group said it had ordered its fighters to wait and not enter the city and that it was in talks with “the other side” to discuss entering the city without harming residents. Until the transition of power is done, the government would remain responsible for the security of the capital, it said, while adding that a general amnesty was announced for all.
A senior Afghan official said President Ashraf Ghani was at the U.S. Embassy to consult with the U.S. ambassador. Both the U.S. and Afghan government have asked the Taliban not to enter the city for two weeks until a transitional government could be agreed to, he said. “I do not think the Taliban will accept the offer,” he said. He added that negotiations were under way with the Taliban to choose a new head for the transitional government that would be acceptable for all sides.
Sporadic gunfire erupted in central Kabul in the late morning as the administration of Mr. Ghani told all employees to go home. Many checkpoints were abandoned as panicked residents clogged the streets.
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