World reacts as Taliban closes in on Afghan capital

Governments, world leaders react to Taliban forces surrounding Kabul amid reports of a ‘peaceful transfer of power’.

World reaction was swift after the Taliban closed in on Kabul as a takeover by the armed group appeared imminent on Sunday. The group has swept through the country in a devastating week-long offensive after United States-led forces withdrew. Its campaign accelerated to lightning speed in the last week, capturing Kandahar and Herat, the country’s second and third-largest cities, and shocking Western countries as the Afghan military’s defences collapsed. The Taliban ordered its fighters to hold back from entering Kabul city, and Afghan Interior Minister Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal said there would be a “peaceful transfer of power” to a transitional government.