nation of the president and his brother and of our 24 hour period, the center of saigon was a warning zone. the press retreated in effect that the caravel hotel. and many of the story is mentioned we were saying was from the care of me. ah, saturday presidents death, the taliban of back in charge of carbo spokesman tells al jazeera it's ready to peacefully assume control of the country at last. 20 years ago. we are talking in the waiting piece for transfer. i transition awful. capital city. meanwhile, president asha ronnie fleas, foreign diplomats are allocated out of the city. many people are heading for the borders, but what max for millions in afghanistan, who fear taliban control?

the me. hello mariam demise, watching al jazeera life from not now continuing coverage. as a situation in afghanistan, we were bringing you exclusive algebra pictures of taliban fighters who are now inside the presidential palace in the capital. cobble of either some of the scenes that we've been seeing. of course, this comes 20 years after the us led invasion, which drove the group from power. here they are inside the presidential palace, but we've also been reporting on fear and panic. in the streets of cobbled people rushing to the bank to withdraw money from a t. m. machines. people trying to organize visas and travel documents for themselves and their families. and just essentially people trying to find some way out of the country. these are the people that have the resources to do that, of course. but even if they are able to, to try and attempt to leave

a very difficult to get a flight out of cobble right now, we've been seeing images of the scenes inside cobble apple apps. you packed full of people. but of course, there is also a humanitarian crisis unfolding and cobble right now, because many people have been displaced by fighting in the provinces have now gathered in the capitol. they've been sleeping out in the open, in overcrowded parks. we've been seeing images of families fighting over food, and this adds to the already millions of afghans has been displaced as a result of conflict and instability in the country because it was already a very unstable situation as a result of insecurity. environmental challenges, but also just the overall situation in the country that had or even a great deal of instability before this current wave of fighting. now there's even

more uncertainty, not just about the short term future, but also about what a return to power means for the taliban. what it means for the, the democratic and economic freedoms that have been one over the past 20 years. but typically the implications for women and gulf well taliban leadership, surrounded by dozens of arm fighters, we seeing that they actually addressed the media from the country seat of power or the below him. and upon the miss miller, her mind that we have come to our victory, we'd like to assure our residence names have been given to us. we would like to ensure security of the people taliban fighters enter the capital through its 4 main gates. the u. s. has been the last of its diplomatic staff, it really sending helicopters to fly them from the embassy and the city is green zone to the international airport. you diplomatic stuff have also been evacuated to say that on disclosed locations robert bride brings us the latest. now from

campbell, it has been an incredible day after what's been an incredible, a few weeks in the complete transformation of africa. this done, i mean, the day began with the city basically being undersea. your people knew that we were heading in that direction since the fall of all of these provinces, we saw the build up of this mentor. as the taliban seem to get the support of the various factions, of which there are many in afghanistan, we saw them grabbing equipment hub and brand new humvees and vehicles. we saw them opening up prisons, but letting out taliban prisoners who then apparently joined the cause, joined by other people who seem to switch side so they get it with this has been building on people here in cobbled. i've been watching all of this with growing on ease and that it's sort of culminated with the beginning of this sunday looking at the city on the siege and then report starting to emerge of taliban fight is

actually coming into the city itself. and you could sense that kind of a palpable increase in the level of tension. we were out in the streets watching people drawing money out of atm that were empty or trying to get into banks and get money out. i didn't increase the amount of clamor to try to get hold of us dollars and they simply, in most cases were non or people who are going to stores to buy things. suddenly it increased their pay. so we'd increase the whole tension level throughout the day. and gradually into this evening, we have now seen taliban figures and characters out on the streets. whereas we have insurance at the start of this sunday that they would hold back. they would not come into cobble itself, but on the pretext, right or wrong that there was looting going on. and the has been cases of looting in cobble. we see those taliban people on the streets taking over largely the jobs that had been until now done by ordinary policemen. in many cases those policemen simply changing the uniforms for civilian clothes and drifting away. and it's easy

when we talk about the taliban to think of one big organization like a big army or a big civil service with different tiers and structures, etc. and it isn't really like that. yes, there is. i taliban leadership and commands. but especially as you get down to more localized level that is both splinter than there are different groups, etc. so, you know, you have to look at it to that. what the taliban will do in one part of the country may be different to the taliban in a different, another part of the country, but it doesn't seem to have different faces. and, you know, in other parts of afghanistan, there are reports during the, especially the past few weeks. and months of this increased up surgeon in violence of fighting between it and government forces of various atrocities, human rights abuses, war crimes being carried out by some units of the taliban. i mean that just pay appear to be the telephone. evidence of that uploaded to social media,

which many human rights groups international organizations have said should be investigated. and these war crimes should be investigated that the people held to account. i think we're probably going to see a different face of the taliban hearing terrible because of course, this is a formal a public stage, these foam or public easily visible to the outside world that it was 20 years ago. thanks to communications and all the rest. and so they will, i think there is a sense or an expectation we could of course be wrong with we've been so surprised by what's taking place thus far. but there is an expectation that they will be acting differently. they will be behaving if you like, because they will realize that this is more of a world stage. the world is watching them and seeing what administration they will create. well yes, katrina states been defending his country's role in the conflict for more mike had joined his life from washington and mike,

we've been hearing as he blink and essentially rejecting any comparison between that chaos in kabul and the humiliation of when we saw saigon when saigon fell in 1975. been any other word from the white house about wallace? well, president biden is at present at camp david's. den the white house to tweak a photograph of the president holding a video conference early on in the morning, visible on the rack of screens in front of him were among others, the vice president, some of his national security advises. and interestingly, the us representative who is in doha, at present, but president biden continuing to hold a dialogue with various members of his government. his government is turned in touch with various elements, particularly in doha. so the bite in administration, those well is trying to push off criticism and not only about the decision to

withdraw troops, but also about the way in which it is going to bout but degree to which the administration appeared unprepared for that rapid advance of, of the taliban, now you mentioned that the secretary of state, he did make a comment in the course of the morning, rejecting the comparisons to that emergency evacuation of the u. s embassy, back in 1975. and this is what he had to say. let's take a step back. this is manifestly not saigon. the fact the matter is this. we went to afghanistan 20 years ago with one mission in mind. and that was the deal with the people who attacked us on 911. and that mission has been successful. we brought a lot to justice a decade ago, our k to the group that attacked us has been vastly diminished. its capacity to attack us again from afghanistan has been right now, does not exist. and we're going to make sure that we keep in place in the region, the capacity, the forces necessary to see any reemergence of the terrorist threat and to be able

to deal with it. so in terms of what we set out to do and f canister, and we've done it well, the department of defense. so it says i was saying that additional troops are being deployed to couple airport. these are believe to be yet another brigade of the 82nd airborne, who were 2000 of them were sent in a couple of days ago. and now you've got an added reinforcement which would bring the amount of troops in a couple to in the region of $6000.00. remembering to that there is a quick reaction force of 3 to 4000 in kuwait, ready to go in ship the situation to teary or 8 even further. so you've now got in the region of 10000 us troops in theater, either in a couple or near a gun he's done. this is by far greater number than the amount of troops that have been there in recent years. thank you very much, mike. kind of bring us all the latest from washington that what if i guess

a bit more now i need to national reaction to all of this and particularly the significant, the possible implications. this could have the united states and its credibility on the walls, stay job diplomatic, added to james space. is that united nations in new york with more on that this i think, is going to be a big blow to the power and prestige of the united states. i don't think you can really look at this despite secretary blinking saying that their operation in afghanistan last 20 years was a success. there's no other way seeing this is a catastrophic foreign policy failure. i think it was a failure on a number of fronts put aside whether they should have left. i've got a storm the way they left afghanistan. it seems to see i did not predict that the taliban would do anything at this speed on the military front. clearly a failure because of all the money that was spent by the us, an estimate of $144000000000.00 in the recent government report. lots of that money

was on the us training the african military. i think one of the problems there is that they created a system where they worked hand in hand. and in some ways the us military were like the offices and the african military were like the soldiers. when you removed the u . s. and nato forces, the african military couldn't fight and certainly didn't want to fight because of the psychological blow of the u. s. pulling out which i think, even in the pentagon, they had not really expected president biden, to follow through all. and i think the u. s. also looking at a map of afghanistan, which had provinces, districts on it, the taliban looked at a map of that had the tribal divisions and i've got to start on it. and they managed to work those tribes. they managed to find the right power brokers so that they were able to take province off the province. and in many cases there wasn't much of a fight. james base out of sematic addison going to be much more on developments in afghanistan after a quick break. do stay with us,

you're watching al jazeera ah, on counting the cost europe pete fun to fight terrorism and counter china and russia in africa with activists say they'll provide weapons to big cases and the climate emergency costing millions, placing millions, counting the cost. well now just in our coverage of africa is what i'm most proud of. every time i travel there, whether it be still west africa, people stop me and tell me how much they appreciate coverage. and our focus is not just on their suffering, but also on the more realistic and inspiring story people trust to tell them what's happening in their communities at clear and i'm biased. and as an african, i couldn't be more proud to be autumn. bulgaria,

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the snake charmer. on the con, witnessed on a janita o o a go back to watching al jazeera life from london and our continuing coverage of the situation in afghanistan, where taliban fighters on now inside the presidential palace. after entering the capital, following an offensive to, to gain control groups as a once a peaceful transition of power. but they have claimed to now be in control of the country. this after president sheriff connie left.

ah, this is at present national connie now he is reported to have left the country but also there as really been a sense of fear, panic, anxiety in the streets of campbell, have been reports of people rushing to get travel documents, and visa is organized in order to flee were joined by hudson, a boss distinguished professor of international relations at the neary southeast asia, south asia center for strategic studies joined us from washington. and there is a great deal of concern about the future of the country and what the return of the taliban means for really everyone, particularly for women and minority groups. what are the taliban next steps likely to be now? thank you so much and we are all watching this attrition,

the disturbing situation with a lot of concern. i think a lot depends on the shades of taliban that receive from the doha group on one and 2. they have the law group be great if i recall that, and those insurgents on the ground and all those ordinary of lawns in the folks also who are now claiming, or fishing themselves, the taliban. but some of them are drug dealers and others. so which shade of taliban will be dominant in? gobble is a big question. and the, the one criterion to view our project to the future is to see how to deal with the humanitarian crisis. shooter is 3 days from now the important day and the show that the martyrdom of the grand son of the prophet mom, a peace be upon him, will see by the taliban. if that in control, they allow those positions to happen or not. we'll see what they do to women over that they allow women to work or not. we'll see whether they allow women to go to

go to school. do you see what they do to those who are in the government? that will give us some idea about how to project the future of taliban. we should keep our minds open, the background, the history is terrible. but we can also see whether if there are some positive trends, we should appreciate goals and build our hopes on that. but where the, where are the positive trends in all of this, because we saw them engage in negotiations, which now many would say did not take place in good faith that was essentially used to buy time to further that to strengthen their military position in the country. to try and gain some sort of legitimacy and to further their that contact with the international community. but essentially the plan had been all along to, to seize control at the right time to a valid argument. and it's embody possible that it is like that. however,

being reading back demick had, if i argue that united states being the most powerful country, dealing with them, are decided to haven't negotiations with them in doha, by keeping the government out. they had their own reasons. they taught the hon. government of off all the leaders with the money, et cetera of not listening. so that took the carpet from under the feet of govern government in some shape or form. then also govern government also had a chance to get into the negotiations. now i'm all i'm saying is, i agree with you. the boss to is provides a terrible picture of the know valid bondsville view about islam of any dogmatic view we know about their atrocities. so there is not much open that since however been started giving these statements which we just heard from mr. shaheen that are presented again, i'm not saying you should borrow and believe in all of that,

but the thing we want to be different. we will allow the minorities to operate in what they were saying to some of the the she must them saying, allowing them to continue with their activities during the month of month autumn. in some areas they said go and don't go to the school. the point again is enough negative data, there are some positive limited time that we have since and again, i just want to give an idea that maybe if, but there are some of those that relatively moderate. and i know this is a controversial point. i'm making some moderate elements, entirely bonds if they become dominant and capital b, because they need international money. they need international support. they don't want to go the order out and below, but other is normally if i mean to say that. so i'm just trying to give some hope or making an argument. it's possible, or let's see what they do. if they do a pick of what step they can be some encouragements also. otherwise we can go in

offense in the opposite direction in terms of our assessment, right as so you think that there might be some parts of the taliban that is possibly they might have learnt something from their mistakes in the 90s, and then they might modify that position on certain aspects of public life. a certain in the way they certainly in the way they treat afghans just to maintain control if nothing else. but obviously, you know, honest on is a vast country. and so that will be taliban governors and allies in many different places. do you then envisage some sort of split or increasing faction lives? ation between the taliban and cobble and those elsewhere? exactly. i actually project out and see that happening because we always knew that this was the leadership which has been lobrado, which of the time you presented

a which is called the son of homer's son, who has some control of some beer. he's threatened being built up and then there is the fallible leadership of its miller habit to land those. what in plato or b chava or by son of going to san border region? been, did our free commanders who the free come under that really answering to and just wanting to it's another big question and the baby. and the reason i'm giving slightly forcing myself to think in a different way is that one week ago even i on your program, the other top and list everywhere we're seeing double will be defended. it's yes. the taliban are successful elsewhere, but they do to been overcome will be extremely difficult in terms of military and what is emerging in, in front of our i do a total opposite of what everyone was saying. so maybe all the list and putting

myself, we need to look back and say no, there are 2 sites tonight, government and let's think off again. 2 in a different way, and because why everyone gave up, and yes, there are some people who are very fearful. there are some who are being had asked . there are some who are trying to leave the country at the same time. and also watching this, they might have learned some lesson as well. they have already dogmatic worldview in terms of what the government will look like. we agree, we are not going to look too at noon democratic model like in london or us of nowhere street. and this is not going to be a democracy be, will bought, or maybe the idea from it on the light there funky or something like that, that we seem a lot of that as president and able to live the, as their grand supreme atomic leader. but the thing that they would like to include everyone and the fall of the northern side don't understand a big deal, the big the budgets. but they couldn't order up

a fight. and the way the security forces collapsed. it's not that they were not well trained or that they were not well equipped. they lost their truck to in the government. and if somehow some leader in cobble today is going to be able to build some trust. and then there has been international community which can use that leverage because of amazon is short of money. they can't pay salaries to anyone there for western communications. it for everything. as you say, there is a great deal of uncertainty face in the country and incredible challenges in avoid . well, trying to alleviate humanitarian catastrophe meeting the basic needs of these people. how about how we can chat a bit more later on. thank you for now. thank you. so much we've been hearing about the speed of the afghan government's collapse and it has perhaps surprised many people. but in terms of how it reached this, this position in april. it was 1st in april that present bite announces plans

withdraw. all us troops from i've got to stand by september 11th, bring an end to the country's longest war. and early major stays after us forces began leaving the taliban launched offensive in the southern hell man province. at the beginning of july, american troops who quickly withdrawn from their main military, posing that this is a background based just an hours drive from campbell. by the beginning of august, the taliban had seized control of that size provincial capital. in years that ranch and then went on to control more than half the country, the offensive continued a rapid pace taking control of santa polo a week ago. the 1st of 3 provincial capitals captured that day, which included condos considered a major strategic prize on thursday captured another 3 provincial capitals in one day. this time they're all major gains bases like herat, the country's 3rd largest city, has any and kandahar a key trading port. by sunday. the taliban surrounded the capital. so that is a summary of how we have arrived in this position. charlotte balance has more now

from cobble a little after 20 years. it was a hostile departure for the united states from its cobble embassy. as the telephone reached, the city limits helicopters varied staff to cobble international airport. those who remained bern sensitive documents or black hawks and apache helicopters, circled the capital monitoring for telephone fighters on the ground. as they released heat flay is over the green zone president ashura connie was recording what would be his final statement. he and his co team slate the country shortly after. that was, there is a clear need that the national director of security alongside the police and i've gone army dig responsibility for the security of all citizens. i have asked the difference minister and into the minister to convey that message. anyone who

disturbing the law in order of looting should be confronted with full force, the full gunny list. cobble the afghan government had been negotiating with the taliban for a political settlement, but its leverage had weakened with every loss on the battlefield. way. in just 9 days, the telephone took control of every major city except cobble. by sunday morning, its fighters surrounded the capital, holding districts inside cobble province. so it is a popular uprising and all the prob, probably in his order with us. so they should understand and know the ground realities and the set in the to submit the cell to the will of the people. there will be a government which will be acceptable to all of plans as the telephone prison still around the outskirts of cobble beyond groups. military commission sent this

message to its fighters. smith, landra, monterey. congratulations to your room, but no one should into cobble. you do not have permission to enter. if someone enters, you cannot plead ignorance. yet by sunset, the taliban flag was raised inside. cobbled city tell a bonfire who was seen driving around on motor bikes and pickup trucks and humvees greasing the people the afghanistan from terry ministry carried on. undeterred, stating it remains in charge of the city security. the security of the city is guaranteed and it is not going to be attacked. the agreement is that there is going to be a peaceful transfer of power to a transitional. government do not be influenced by any propaganda. couple is safe and rest assured that will not be any problem and cobbled yet, but after the tele bonds rapid march across afghan stone, that was not a chance for us. or it would seem. president ghani was willing to take charlotte

bellis al jazeera cobble. well, the taliban is also taking control of every major border crossing in the country. the last to be seized was the crossing, told ham one of the largest gateways between afghanistan and pakistan. come all hide reports now from islamic barge. hitch rated at the end of the hive, a bar down of the border and i did dreamily crucial. however, margaret, on her close that border because of go over a restriction nowadays a backlog on both sides where door there was no fighting or the single bullet fired attached to remain between the dollar bond and the avalon border. police as well as the outbound national army who left the door come after the dollar bon came in. so indeed everything quite normally. as far as the security situation is concerned, by plugging on, i've got a rare that up for

a long conflict. and of runners on that day would be a dream of refugees sporting across the border. also the fact that the closure of the border could also mean shorter jade and populated centers of runners on such as garbage jolla board. so at some point there will be an agreement to or to open this white quarter door, but it should be remembered that the taliban 1st came into power against the war, large meeting out a structure, deeds against the people. there was a popular uprising that is how the dollar bond were able to creep across the country with local support. people who were fed up with the warlord shadlee or war large well brought back by the americans to help them against the dollar bond. got their writing was on the wall, the dollar bond was going to succeed at some point by default against overwhelming . org and up god from what we have seen. it appears that they have learned mistake .