Afghanistan: Taliban leader Mullah Baradar says our ‘victory was unexpectedly swift’

Doha [Qatar], August 16 (ANI): Taliban deputy leader Mullah Baradar on Sunday said that the terror group’s victory, which saw all of the country’s major cities fall in a week, was unexpectedly swift and had no match in the world.

In a short video message, he said the real test would begin now with meeting the expectations of the people and serving them by resolving their problems, Al Jazeera reported. Baradar’s comments come hours after Taliban terrorists entered Kabul and wrested control over the capital of Afghanistan. They faced negligible resistance as Afghan forces surrendered and several government officials including President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

Meanwhile, according to reports, the Taliban took over the state television station in Kabul, calling on citizens to remain calm. Spokesman for the Taliban’s political office, Mohammad Naeem, speaking to Al-Jazeera, declared that the war in Afghanistan is “over”. “We are ready to have a dialogue with all Afghan figures and will guarantee them the necessary protection”, Naeem told the channel. “We do not think that foreign forces will repeat their failed experience in Afghanistan once again.”

As the Taliban claimed control over the Afghan capital, several countries evacuated diplomatic personnel from the country, and crowds of people flocked to the Kabul airport in an attempt to leave Afghanistan. Naeem stated that all embassies and foreign diplomatic missions are safe in Kabul, urging “everyone” in the city to remain “in complete confidence”.

“We assure all embassies, diplomatic missions, institutions, and residences of foreign nationals in Kabul that there is no danger to them. Everyone in Kabul must be in complete confidence, and the forces of the Islamic Emirate are tasked with maintaining security in Kabul and other cities in the country”, his tweet reads. Reports suggest that the movement will soon proclaim the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan former President Hamid Karzai along with Abdullah Abdullah and former Mujahideen leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar have formed a Coordination Council in order to prevent chaos and manage affairs related to a peaceful transfer of power. (ANI)