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Reaction in Kabul Amid Taliban Advances

Ayesha Tanzeem

   KABUL AND ISLAMABAD - There was panic in the streets of the Afghan
   capital Kabul as reports came in that the Taliban were poised to enter
   the city.

   A VOA Afghan service reporter was in the passport office when everyone
   was told to leave immediately and go home.

   Traffic on the streets of Kabul became crazy as people scrambled to get
   home or to their families. However, things slowly stated to get back to
   normal, but there are massive traffic jams.

   Afghanistan's interior minister said in a video message that there will
   be a peaceful transfer of power to the Taliban. Abdul Satar Mirzakwal
   said Kabul is not under attack and will not be attacked and urged
   people not to pay attention to propaganda. He said a peaceful power
   transition will take place in Kabul under an agreement.

     [1]#Afghanistan's interior minister [2]@mirzakwal_satar releases
     video message saying [3]#Kabul is not under attack nor will it be
     attacked and urged people not to pay attention to propaganda. He
     said a peaceful power transition will take place in Kabul under an
     agreement. [4]pic.twitter.com/tUxyLjTI7d
     -- Ayaz Gul (@AyazGul64) [5]August 15, 2021

   A top aide to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also urged people not to
   panic in a tweet.

     Don't panic! Kabul is safe!
     -- Matin Bek (@MatinBek) [6]August 15, 2021

   Matin Bek is a member of the negotiating team that has been meeting
   with the Taliban delegation in Doha.

   A Taliban spokesman tweeted, "The Islamic Emirate instructs all its
   forces to stand at the gates of Kabul, not to try to enter the city,"

   By early afternoon, Taliban spokesmen announced they were not entering
   Kabul forcefully and want a peaceful transfer of power.
   Smoke rises next to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 15,
   2021. Taliban fighters entered the outskirts of the Afghan capital,
   further tightening their grip on the country.

   They announced a general amnesty for all and said there will be no
   revenge killing.

   Kabul residents had mixed reactions to reports of the Taliban's arrival
   at the city.

   Economics student and Kabul resident Ali Sina said, "I think the
   government has surrendered Kabul to the Taliban. I think it's good for
   the people because there will be no fighting."

   When asked if he thinks he'll be able to continue with his life under
   the Taliban he said, "I think so."

   Hamidullah, who only gave one name due to security concerns, sounded
   less hopeful.

   "I'm afraid of Taliban controlling all of Afghanistan. I worked with
   U.S. military and if Taliban control Kabul, they'll try to kill me if
   they know about me."

   U.S. helicopters are reported to have landed at the American Embassy in
   Kabul and are said to be evacuating staff to the Kabul airport.

   The Associated Press says a Taliban official told it, "No one's life,
   property and dignity will be harmed and the lives of the citizens of
   Kabul will not be at risk."

   Some information for this report came from Reuters, and The Associated
   Press.

References

   1. https://twitter.com/hashtag/Afghanistan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   2. https://twitter.com/mirzakwal_satar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   3. https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kabul?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   4. https://t.co/tUxyLjTI7d
   5. https://twitter.com/AyazGul64/status/1426840199879925761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   6. https://twitter.com/MatinBek/status/1426808641521340418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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