Taliban Plan To Declare New "Islamic Emirate Of Afghanistan": Report

Taliban took over the presidential palace, and said it plans to soon declare a new "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan"

Taliban terrorists marched into Kabul Sunday, preparing to take full control of Afghanistan two decades after they were removed by the US military. The terrorist group took over the presidential palace, and said it plans to soon declare a new "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan." Hours earlier, American-backed President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. The speed of the Afghan government's collapse shocked NATO allies and prompted condemnation from both sides of the US political divide over how President Joe Biden's administration appeared to be blindsided by the Taliban's easy advance. Dozens of countries issued a joint statement Monday calling "those in positions of power and authority across Afghanistan" to allow Afghans and foreigners to depart safely if they wish, to keep borders open and maintain calm. As the Al Jazeera network broadcast what it said were live images of armed Taliban terrorists roaming the palace and posing at desks, Kabul's airport became the staging ground for the planned exit of most US embassy personnel, symbolizing the end of a two-decade engagement sparked by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The Taliban swept through Afghanistan in a matter of weeks, taking advantage of a vacuum left by departing US and NATO forces working against Biden's August 31 deadline to end America's longest war. US officials said they're working for an orderly departure.