Afghanistan news – live: Chaos at Kabul airport as thousands flee after Taliban seize power

The US embassy in Kabul has issued a security alert following reports of gunfire at the city’s airport as troops aid the evacuation of most American diplomats and personnel.

The embassy said the situation in the Afghanistan capital was “changing quickly” on Sunday as it instructed US citizens to “shelter in place”.

“There are reports of the airport taking fire; therefore we are instructing US citizens to shelter in place,” the alert said.

It comes as Taliban commanders claim to have taken control of the Afghan presidential palace.

An official for the militant group said they will soon declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the palace.

However there has been no confirmation from the Afghanistan government.

Afghan president Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday after Taliban fighters entered Kabul and sought the surrender of his government.

• What does the Taliban want in Afghanistan?

• Taliban capture Mazar-e-Sharif, government’s last northern stronghold

• Kabul within reach of Taliban as Ghani resists pressure to stand down

• Taliban closes in on Kabul amid fierce clashes near the capital

• It is government weakness, not Taliban strength, that condemns Afghanistan

Key points

• Al-Jazeera airs footage of Taliban fighters in presidential palace

• British troops arrive in Kabul to help with evacuations

• Ghani reveals he left Afghanistan to avoid clashes with Taliban

• President Ghani leaves Afghanistan and heads to Tajikistan

• Parliament to be recalled as Tories criticise government silence

07:45 , Sam Hancock

Good morning, and welcome to The Independent’s rolling coverage of the situation in Afghanistan. Stay tuned for the latest updates.

UK cannot prevent Taliban regime, warns Wallace

07:57 , Sam Hancock

Ben Wallace has said it is “arrogant” to think the UK can unilaterally prevent Afghanistan from falling back into the grip of the Talib

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Wallace rejected claims that the UK’s departure from Kabul represented “a failure of leadership and a betrayal of Afghanistan”.

He said that when the US announced its plan he had tried, without success, to find other allies who would take their place and without them, the UK could not “go it alone”.

“A unilateral force would very quickly be viewed as an occupying force and, no matter how powerful the country that sends it, history shows us what happens to them in Afghanistan,” he said.

“It would be arrogant to think we could solve Afghanistan unilaterally. The solution can only come if the force is multinational and the nations involved bring to bear all the tools of nation building - hard power, soft power, foreign aid, and political alliances.

“And from the outset we need to be realistic that you have to manage these types of problems for decades, not fix them overnight.”

He said the position had been made more difficult by a deal which “wrongly suggested to the Taliban that they had won”.

British ambassador to be airlifted out of Kabul

08:07 , Sam Hancock

Sir Laurie Bristow, the British ambassador to Afghanistan, is to be flown home by Monday evening, according to reports first published in The Sunday Telegraph.

The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) had intended for Sir Laurie and a small team of officials to remain at the airport with other international diplomats.

But the newspaper reports that their departure was brought forward amid fears the airport could be overrun as the Taliban continue their lightning advance through the country.

With signs time is rapidly running out, a RAF Hercules was reported to have flown out of the airport on Saturday carrying diplomats and civilians.

The growing chaos - with the signs the government of President Ashraf Ghani is close to collapse - was met with anger and frustration among MPs and British military veterans who served in the country.

Biden authorises 5,000 troops to Afghanistan for ‘orderly drawdown’

08:10 , Sam Hancock

US president Joe Biden has authorised the deployment of around 5,000 US troops to Afghanistan to ensure an “orderly and safe drawdown”.

The White House made the announcement on Saturday soon after it was announced that insurgents had captured Mazar-e-Sharif, the Afghan government’s last northern stronghold as city after city has toppled, writes Louise Boyle from New York.

Mr Biden said that he had ordered US military and intelligence forces “to ensure that we will maintain the capability and the vigilance to address future terrorist threats from Afghanistan”.

Biden authorizes 5,000 troops to Afghanistan for ‘orderly and safe drawdown’

Former Afghan president helps with Taliban negotiations

08:13 , Sam Hancock

Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai has tweeted that he met Abdullah Abdullah, head of the Afghan reconciliation committee, on Sunday to decide who should be sent to negotiate with the Taliban.

Taliban ‘now hold all of Afghanistan’s border crossings’

08:19 , Sam Hancock

Officials say the Taliban now hold all of Afghanistan’s border crossings, leaving Kabul airport as the only route out of the country, according to Associated Press.

Pakistan’s interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed announced on Sunday that the insurgents had taken the Torkham border crossing. He told local broadcaster Geo TV that Pakistan halted cross-border traffic there because of it.Torkham represented the last post still under government control, he added.

Taliban seize last major city outside of Kabul

08:25 , Sam Hancock

Insurgents have taken the last major city outside of Afghanistan’s capital held by the country’s central government, cutting off the capital to the east.The collapse of Jalalabad, near a major border crossing with Pakistan, leaves Afghanistan’s central government in control of just Kabul and six other provincial capitals out of the country’s 34.

In a nationwide offensive that has taken just over a week, the Taliban has defeated, co-opted or sent Afghan security forces fleeing from wide swathes of the country.

As a result, rapid shuttle-run flights were seen operating near the US embassy. Wisps of smoke could be seen near the embassy’s roof, two American military officials told Associated Press.The Czech Republic also approved a plan to begin withdrawing their Afghan staff from their embassy after earlier taking their diplomats to Kabul International Airport, the news agency reports.

08:27 , Sam Hancock

NBC’s Richard Engel and The New York Times’ Sharif Hassan report the following:

Militants take largest city in southeast Afghanistan

08:37 , Sam Hancock

Taliban militants have seized the provincial capital of Khost, the largest city in Afghanistan’s southeast.

At just 93 miles from capital city Kabul, Khost’s seizure shows the insurgents are showing no sign of slowing down.

The latest gain was revealed by Afghan officials and the Taliban itself.

Stewart calls out Biden for distancing himself from Afghanistan

08:47 , Sam Hancock

Rory Stewart, the UK’s former international development secretary, has criticised Joe Biden’s handling of Afghanistan – again.

He described Afghanistan as a place the US presidents has “just broken through reckless and precipitate withdrawal”.

On Friday, Mr Stewart described the Taliban advance as “our fault” and told CNN that the county’s collapse was a “shameful” humanitarian catastrophe.

Taliban enter outskirts of Kabul

09:00 , Sam Hancock

The Taliban have entered the outskirts of Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, three officials have told Associated Press.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorised to release the information, the officials said there hadn’t been any fighting yet.

The Taliban fighters were in the districts of Kalakan, Qarabagh and Paghman, AP reports, as military helicopters reportedly buzzed overhead and government offices began sending workers home.

The BBC’s Yalda Hakim gave the following update:

Taliban has ‘no plans to take Kabul by force’

09:17 , Sam Hancock

The Taliban has said it does not plan to take Kabul, the Afghan capital, “by force”, according to militants.

They issued the statement on Sunday amid reports they had officially entered the outskirts of Kabul.

Panicked workers reportedly fled government offices and helicopters began landing at the US embassy.

Afghan soldiers seek amnesty from Taliban

09:30 , Sam Hancock

Thousands of Afghan soldiers, fearing “violent reprisals”, are seeking amnesty from the Taliban in the large, western city of Herat.

AFP reports:

“Afghanistan’s third-biggest city fell without a fight on Thursday as government forces retreated and Herat’s famous warlord Ismail Khan was detained by the insurgents.

With fears of violent reprisals growing as the Taliban get closer to a full takeover of the country, Afghan soldiers in Herat - nearly all of them in civilian clothes - gathered Saturday to try and get a letter of amnesty.

Inside the office that once housed the Herat governor, Taliban members sat on couches - some cradling American military rifles - as they jotted down names and reviewed lists spread on a glass-top coffee table.

On stationery with the Taliban letterhead, one wrote amnesty notes - some long-term, some valid for just a few days.

One Afghan soldier at the compound told AFP that his unit was surrounded by the Taliban before the fall of the city.

Now he just wanted security.

“I have come here to get an amnesty letter to go out of the city,” said Ahmed Shahidi.

“Until I find a place where I can stay safe in the future.”

Taliban member Najeebullah Karokhi said around 3,000 people were given amnesty.

“Those who are from other provinces will be provided a three-day temporary amnesty letter so they can get to their home provinces, where they need to get another long-term amnesty letter from our officials,” he said.

In the shaded part of a courtyard on the compound, hundreds sat patiently as a man holding amnesty slips shouted names one by one for them to be collected.

The banal bureaucratic process belied the shocking speed and efficiency of the Taliban’s victories across Afghanistan.

The fear of Taliban revenge is not unfounded: the insurgents have imposed brutal punishments on opponents, and anyone who violated their harsh brand of Islamic law when they were in power from 1996 to 2001.

They have recently been accused of committing war crimes, including massacres of civilians and soldiers outside combat but the insurgents deny committing such atrocities.”

Afghan govt responsible for Kabul’s security, say Taliban

09:32 , Sam Hancock

The Taliban have issued a statement saying they have instructed their fighters to “stay at the gates of Kabul and not enter the city. Until the transition takes place , the Afghan government is responsible for the security of Kabul”.

Local journalist Bilal Sarwary shared the following statement:

Tory MP urges Johnson to intervene in Afghanistan

09:35 , Sam Hancock

The chairman of the Commons Defence Committee has urged Boris Johnson to intervene in Afghanistan, instructing the PM to deploy the Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group to the region.

Tory MP Tobias Ellwood said it was still not too late to turn the situation around and called on the PM to convene an emergency conference of “like-minded nations” to see what could be done.

“I plead with the prime minister to think again. We have an ever-shrinking window of opportunity to recognise where this country is going as a failed state,” he told Times Radio. “We can turn this around but it requires political will and courage. This is our moment to step forward.”

He continued: “Just because the Americans won’t does not mean to say that we should be tied to the thinking, the political judgment - particularly when it is so wrong - of our closest security ally.

“We could prevent this, otherwise history will judge us very, very harshly in not steeping in when we could do and allowing the state to fail.”

Anger as Afghan students with UK university scholarships have places withdrawn

09:44 , Sam Hancock

Afghan students promised scholarships at UK universities have had their places withdrawn, in a decision condemned by two former Conservative cabinet ministers.

The Foreign Office says the crisis in the country means the British Embassy is no longer able to process visas for the Chevening Scholarships programme – affecting about 35 students, reports our deputy political editor Rob Merrick.

Rory Stewart, the former international development secretary, called the decision “deeply disappointing”, while David Lidington, the former de-facto deputy prime minister branded it “morally wrong”.

Anger as Afghan students promised scholarships at UK universities have places withdrawn

Taliban will not ‘take revenge’ on Afghan soldiers, spokesman says

09:55 , Sam Hancock

A Taliban spokesman has said the militant group does not intend to “take revenge on anyone” and assures those who have served for the government and military will be “forgiven”.

“No one’s life, property and dignity will be harmed and the lives of the citizens of Kabul will not be at risk,” the insurgents said.

The spokesman also called on Afghan civilians to remain in the country, not to flee as thousands are attempting to do.

What does the Taliban want in Afghanistan?

09:57 , Sam Hancock

The Taliban have now entered Kabul, after days of a series of stunning territorial advances across the country.

It comes nearly 20 years after the US invasion of Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks forced the Taliban out of power.

The US is now withdrawing US diplomats by helicopter, but the Taliban said on Sunday morning they are in talks with the Afghan government over a “peaceful surrender” of the capital.

But what do the insurgents actually hope to achieve? Conrad Duncan takes a closer look.

What does the Taliban want in Afghanistan?

Afghanistan ‘biggest policy disaster since Suez,’ says Tory MP

10:09 , Sam Hancock

Tory MP Tom Tugendhat has described the collapse of Afghanistan as “the biggest single policy disaster since Suez” and questioned why Dominic Raab remained silent on the issue.

The chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said the priority should be to get as many people out of Kabul as possible while there was still time.

He told BBC News that Afghans who helped the British now faced reprisals if they fell into the hands of the Taliban.

“This isn’t just about interpreters or guards. This is about those people who we trained in special forces to serve alongside us, those who helped us to understand the territory through our agencies and our diplomats,” he said. “This is the people who, on our encouragement, set up schools for girls. These people are all at risk now.

He added: “The real danger is that we are going to see every female MP murdered, we are going to see ministers strung up on street lamps.”

Mr Tugendhat said he did not know what the government was planning and called out the foreign secretary for his lack of communication. “I don’t know what is in the works because we haven’t heard from the foreign secretary in about a week despite this being the biggest single policy disaster since Suez,” he told the broadcaster.

How quickly did Taliban advance across Afghanistan?

10:20 , Sam Hancock

Taliban insurgents began entering Kabul on Sunday after taking control of all of Afghanistan’s major cities apart from the capital.

Reuters has constructed a timeline of some of the major milestones in the Islamist militant movement’s advance in recent months.

Take a look here:

Timeline: How quickly did Taliban advance across Afghanistan?

Albania to shelter dozens of Afghan refugees, PM announces

10:30 , Sam Hancock

Albania’s prime minister says his country will temporarily shelter hundreds of Afghans who worked with the Western peacekeeping military forces and are now threatened by the Taliban.

On his Facebook page, Edi Rama said the US government had asked Albania to serve as a “transit place for a certain number of Afghan political emigrants who have the United States as their final destination.”

“No doubt we shall not say no,” he said.

Mr Rama added that his country stands alongside the US “not only when we need them for our problems ... but even when they need us, any time”.

Taliban head to presidential palace for transfer of power – report

10:36 , Sam Hancock

Taliban negotiators are reportedly heading to the presidential palace to prepare for a “transfer” of power, an Afghan official has told the Associated Press.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals, said that the goal was a peaceful handing over of the government to the Taliban.

It comes after the Taliban reassured Afghan residents that they were not planning to take the capital by force.

Video: Defiant Afghan woman ‘not scared’ of Taliban

10:37 , Sam Hancock

Afghan president ‘relinquishing power’ – report

10:40 , Sam Hancock

Middle East Eye’s Ragip Soylu reports the following:

Starmer uges PM to recall parliament over Afghanistan

11:07 , Sam Hancock

The leader of the Labour Party has joined the ranks of MPs demanding parliament is recalled so MPs can discuss the worsening crisis in Afghanistan.

Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement:

“The situation in Afghanistan is deeply shocking and seems to be worsening by the hour. The immediate priority now must be to get all British personnel and support staff safely out of Kabul.

The Government has been silent while Afghanistan collapses, which let’s be clear will have ramifications for us here in the UK.

We need Parliament recalled so the Government can update MPs on how it plans to work with allies to avoid a humanitarian crisis and a return to the days of Afghanistan being a base for extremists whose purpose will be to threaten our interests, values and national security.”

Parliament to be recalled amid Tory criticism of government silence

11:11 , Sam Hancock

Parliament is set to be recalled this week, amid growing criticism of the failure of Western governments to halt the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

MPs will be brought back from their summer holidays, with the exact timing dependent on discussions with the Commons Speaker, a Downing Street source said.

Follow our deputy political editor Rob Merrick’s breaking report:

Parliament to be recalled amid Tory criticism of government silence on Afghanistan

Taliban seize former US air base housing IS fighters

11:22 , Sam Hancock

Forces at Bagram air base, which is home to a prison housing 5,000 inmates, have surrendered to the Taliban, an Afghan official has told the AP news agency.

Bagram district chief Darwaish Raufi said on Sunday that the surrender handed the one-time American base over to the insurgents.

The prison housed both Taliban and Islamic State group fighters and was considered an inevitable target for the militants.

Tory MP repeats calls for Johnson to prevent humanitarian crisis

11:30 , Sam Hancock

Afghanistan faces a “catastrophic” humanitarian disaster if action is not taken to prevent the country’s collapse, the chairman of the Commons Defence Committee has warned.

Tory MP Tobias Ellwood told Times Radio: “This is completely humiliating for the West. We assembled the most incredible, technologically advanced alliance the world has ever seen and we are being defeated by an insurgency that’s armed with AK47s and RPGs.

“This will be the biggest own goal made by the West so far this century.”

He added: “The humanitarian disaster that is about to unfold will be catastrophic, the migration challenges will be huge. We will see further terrorist attacks.”

On Saturday, Mr Ellwood retweeted a post about Afghanistan by secretary of state Antony Blinken and told him to “wake up and smell the coffee”.

Biden to pull all personnel from US embassy in Kabul – report

11:41 , Sam Hancock

CNN’s national security correspondent, Kylie Atwood, reports the following:

Ali Ahmad Jalali expected to be named Afghan interim leader

11:58 , Sam Hancock

A US-based academic is likely to be named the head of an interim administration in Kabul, three diplomatic sources told Reuters on Sunday.

Ali Ahmad Jalali was formerly Afghanistan’s interior minister, between 2003 and 2005.

It was not immediately clear whether the Taliban had given their final agreement to Mr Jalali’s appointment but he was seen as a potentially acceptable compromise figure to oversee the transition of power, the sources said.

Earlier, acting interior minister Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal said in a televised address that a peaceful transition would take place but no details have as yet been confirmed.

Taliban ‘will respect rights of women,’ says spokesman

12:11 , Sam Hancock

A Taliban spokesman has said the militant group “will respect rights of women” when it takes control of Afghanistan.

Speaking to BBC News right now, Suhail Shaheen said: “We will respect rights of women...our policy is that women will have access to education and work, to wear the hijab.”

He restated the Taliban’s position that “no one should leave the country ... we need all the talents and capacity, we need all of us to stay in the country and participate”.

It comes after reports yesterday that women were sent home from their jobs in fallen provinces, and told to leave universities in some instances.

Asked what the current situation is, Shaheen added: “We are awaiting a peaceful transition of power...we seek inclusive Afghan government where all Afghans will have participation.”

Taliban spokesman unable to confirm if harsh punishments will be exercised

12:18 , Sam Hancock

The Taliban’s Suhail Shaheen said it was “up to the courts” to decide if policies around punishments such as executions, stonings and amputations would be allowed under this Taliban regime.

Asked when the transition of power would happen, he added militants wanted it “as soon as possible”.

Adverts of women in dresses painted over in Kabul

12:21 , Sam Hancock

Despite a Taliban spokesman’s claim that women’s rights will be protected, an Afghan journalist has tweeted the following image.

It shows a man, presumably under orders from the Taliban, painting over adverts of women wearing wedding dresses in Kabul.

Flydubai airline to suspend Kabul flights from Monday – report

12:52 , Sam Hancock

United Arab Emirates airline flydubai will suspend flights to Afghanistan’s capital Kabul from Monday, a spokesperson told Reuters on Sunday.

It comes after Taliban militants entered the capital city and stormed the presidential palace to discuss how the current government would relinquish power.

A return flight from Kabul to Dubai would operate on Sunday after which services would be suspended until further notice, the spokesperson said.

Watch: Taliban spokesman insists group ‘will respect rights of women’

13:09 , Chiara Giordano

A Taliban spokesman has insisted the group “will respect rights of women” when it takes control of Afghanistan - despite reports yesterday that some women were sent home from their jobs and told to leave universities in fallen provinces.

Watch his interview with the BBC here:

Taliban ‘will respect rights of women’ in Afghanistan, spokesperson says

Taliban expects peaceful transition of power within next few days, says spokesman

13:14 , Chiara Giordano

The Taliban expects a peaceful transition of power in the next few days, a spokesman has said after the insurgents reached Afghanistan's capital Kabul with little resistance.

Suhail Shaheen added that the militant Islamist group would protect the rights of women, as well as freedoms for media workers and diplomats.

"We assure the people, particularly in the city of Kabul, that their properties, their lives are safe," the spokesman said in an interview with the BBC.

"Our leadership had instructed our forces to remain at the gates of Kabul, not to enter the city.

"We are awaiting a peaceful transfer of power," he said, adding the Taliban expected that to happen in a matter of days.

Sweden to evacuate all embassy staff from Kabul

13:20 , Chiara Giordano

Sweden will evacuate all its embassy staff from Kabul today, public service broadcaster Swedish Radio reported, citing sources.

It comes after Taliban insurgents began entering Kabul today, having taken control of all of Afghanistan's major cities apart from the capital.

‘This will go down as a very sad and tragic day'

13:27 , Chiara Giordano

Michael O’Hanlon, a military expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington DC, said today’s events would be remembered as a “very sad and tragic day”.

He told the BBC: “I think this will go down as a very sad and tragic day and also a bad decision by Nato writ large.

“The United States is taking the brunt of it now, as we should, but other Nato countries have been wrestling with these same questions, made some of the same kind of decisions, and on the whole an alliance that’s stuck together so well for so long is coming out of this with a mission that may have kept terrorism at bay for 20 years but obviously did not achieve its goals for Afghanistan itself.”

Afghanistan government delegation to meet with Taliban in Qatar

13:37 , Chiara Giordano

An Afghanistan government delegation, including senior official Abdullah Abdullah, will travel to Qatar today to meet with representatives of the Taliban, an Afghanistan negotiator said.

Fawzi Koofi, a member of the Kabul negotiating team, confirmed to Reuters the delegation would meet with the Taliban in the Gulf state after the militant group earlier entered Kabul.

A source familiar with the matter told Reuters the Afghan delegation and Taliban representatives would discuss a transition of power, adding that US officials would also be involved.

Afghanistan on verge of Taliban takeover as fighters enter Kabul

13:52 , Chiara Giordano

Our defence and security editor Kim Sengupta is reporting from Kabul as Taliban fighters have entered the capital.

Read his latest article describing the scenes in the city here:

Afghanistan on verge of Taliban takeover as fighters enter Kabul

Scottish government ready to ‘play full part’ to help Afghan refugees, says Nicola Sturgeon

13:58 , Chiara Giordano

The Scottish government is willing to "play our full part" to help Afghan refugees fleeing the "horrifying situation" in their country, first minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Ms Sturgeon highlighted work by Canadian authorities who said they had welcomed a flight full of refugees from Afghanistan, which is on the brink of complete collapse as Taliban fighters encroach on the capital Kabul.

Canada's immigration body said it will assist in resettling 20,000 Afghans threatened by the Islamist group.

Ms Sturgeon tweeted that she hopes the UK government "does similar and offers as much refuge for vulnerable Afghans as possible".

She added: "As we did with Syrian refugees, scotgov is willing to play our full part and do all we can to help those in peril as a result of the horrifying situation currently unfolding."

Iran sets up camps along Afghanistan border as Taliban advance

14:10 , Chiara Giordano

Iran says it has prepared accommodation in three provinces bordering Afghanistan to provide temporary refuge to Afghans fleeing their country as Taliban insurgents enter the capital Kabul.

"Camps have been built in border areas in three provinces," Interior Ministry official Hossein Qasemi told Iran's state news agency IRNA.

But he added: "We expect those Afghan refugees to return home when the situation improves in Afghanistan."

Afghanistan’s oil-rich western neighbour Iran has for years been a destination for Afghans seeking work or fleeing war.

But the state of Iran's economy, long stifled by US sanctions, has persuaded Tehran to encourage many of the more than 2 million Afghan refugees in the country to return home.

Afghanistan ‘has failed’ to protect itself, says US state secretary

14:29 , Sam Hancock

The US secretary of state has hit out at Afghanistan’s security forces for failing to defend their country.

In a bizarre move, Anthony Blinken told CNN “the fact of the matter is” Afghan forces have been unable to defend themselves as the Taliban entered Kabul.

He also told the broadcaster that the US was working to “make sure Kabul staff are safe and secure”.

US has succeeded in its missions, claims Blinken

14:34 , Sam Hancock

More from Anthony Blinken now. Continuing with his CNN interview, the US secretary of state said it “simply [wasn’t] in our interest” to remain in Afghanistan.

Asked whether the US had made the right decision to withdrawal, Mr Blinken proclaimed the US had “succeeded” in its mission to stop attacks on American troops.

“This is not Saigon,” he told the news programme.

Closer look: US diplomats airlifted from Kabul embassy

14:50 , Sam Hancock

The US is rushing for a complete embassy withdrawal in just 72 hours, including the top officials at the compound, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken blames the Afghan military for “being unable to defend the country”.

Two sources familiar with the plan informed CNN of the updated schedule that is a much faster version of a plan that was announced on Thursday, reports Gustaf Kilander.

“The fact of the matter is we’ve seen that that force has been unable to defend the country,” Mr Blinken told CNN’s State of the Union. “And that has happened more quickly than we anticipated.”

Afghanistan: Blinken blames Afghan military for ‘being unable to defend country’

President Ghani has left Afghanistan

15:00 , Sam Hancock

Ashraf Ghani, the Afghanistan president, has left the country and is now in Tajikistan.

Asked for comment by Reuters, the president’s office said it “cannot say anything about [Mr] Ghani’s movement for security reasons”.

A representative of the Taliban, which entered the capital Kabul earlier on Sunday, said the group was checking on the leader’s whereabouts.

Afghan president Ashraf Ghani flees capital Kabul for Tajikistan as Taliban enter city

Raab breaks silence on ‘critical’ situation in Afghanistan

15:17 , Sam Hancock

US embassy staff being transferred to airport – Blinken

15:27 , Sam Hancock

US embassy staff in Kabul are leaving the facility and moving to the airport, according to US secretary of state Antony Blinken.

American diplomats were being ferried by helicopters to the city’s airport, where US troops are being flown in to provide security amid an exodus of Americans and their local allies and other foreigners in the face of the militants’ lightening advance.

Sources told Reuters that most US staff would be evacuated from Kabul in the coming day or two.

“We’re working to make sure that our personnel are safe and secure. We’re relocating the men and women of our embassy to a location at the airport,” Mr Blinken told CNN.

More US forces had been sent in to get US officials out of the country “in a safe and orderly fashion” while maintaining a “core diplomatic presence,” he added.

Shooting reported in parts of Kabul – eyewitnesses

15:32 , Sam Hancock

Shooting has been reported in several parts of Kabul, eyewitness and the country’s interior ministry have said.

It comes after a Taliban spokesman confirmed that militants had entered the capital city in response to a “law and order issue”.

We’ll update you as and when reports come in.

Footage shows prisoners freed by Taliban walking home

15:39 , Sam Hancock

NBC’s Richard Engel has posted some incredible footage of prisoners making their journeys home, after being freed from a prison the Taliban captured.

Sturgeon says Scotland ready to help Afghan refugees

15:47 , Sam Hancock

Following our post from earlier, here’s my colleague Zoe Tidman with more on Scotland’s first minister pledging to help Afghan refugees in whatever way she can.

Sturgeon says Scotland ready to do what it can to help Afghan refugees

UK reduces diplomatic presence in Afghanistan – Foreign Office

15:56 , Sam Hancock

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the UK has reduced its “diplomatic presence” in Afghanistan, “but our ambassador remains”.

“We have reduced our diplomatic presence in response to the situation on the ground, but our Ambassador remains in Kabul and UK government staff continue to work to provide assistance to British nationals and to our Afghan staff,” the department said in a statement.

Questions had been raised about the foreign secretary’s silence on the unfolding situation in and around Kabul.

But Dominic Raab posted a tweet in the last hour to say “it is critical that the international community is united in telling the Taliban that the violence must end and human rights must be protected”.

Ads depicting women ‘painted over’ after Taliban enter Kabul

16:04 , Sam Hancock

Adverts of women wearing wedding dresses appear to have been painted over in Kabul after Taliban fighters entered the Afghanistan capital.

A man can be seen using a roller and white paint to cover up the large images outside a building in a photograph posted on Twitter by an Afghan journalist on Sunday, reports Chiara Giordano.

It comes despite a Taliban spokesman’s claim the militant group “will respect rights of women” when it takes control of Afghanistan.

Ads depicting women ‘painted over’ after Taliban enter Kabul

More than 40 wounded in clashes on Kabul outskirts

16:16 , Sam Hancock

More than 40 people were wounded in clashes on the outskirts of Kabul on Sunday, a hospital in the Afghan capital said on Twitter after Taliban fighters entered the city.

“Most (people brought to the hospital) came from fighting in the #Qarabagh area,” it said, without giving any further details of the clashes.

The tweet made no reference to any fatalities.

We’ll update you as and when more details come out.

Labour calls on Priti Patel to urgently expand re-settlement programme for Afghans

16:35 , Chiara Giordano

Labour has called on home secretary Priti Patel to urgently expand the re-settlement programme for Afghans who have worked with the British military and government organisations over the past 20 years.

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: "We must now live up to our obligations, especially to those Afghan people who worked so bravely with British representatives in Afghanistan.

"This process must include looking to help Afghan workers who helped in vital areas such as military, media and those who supported the work of the Department for International Development.

"The Taliban's return is likely to drive many thousands of people from their homes, with women and girls at particular risk. The UK Government must put in place specific safe and legal asylum routes to help provide support."

Taliban claims to have taken control of Afghan presidential palace

16:43 , Chiara Giordano

Taliban commanders claim they have taken control of the Afghan presidential palace.

However there has been no confirmation from the Afghanistan government.

Images show Taliban fighters armed with guns patrolling city of Kandahar

17:00 , Chiara Giordano

Images show Taliban fighters patrolling the city of Kandahar, in southwest Afghanistan.

Groups of men armed with guns can be seen grinning as they ride around on the back of a police car in the pictures released by news agencies at the scene.

Taliban admits to possible return of amputations and executions

17:20 , Chiara Giordano

Amputations, stonings and executions of criminals could return in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, the organisation has admitted.

As its fighters prepared to assume power in Kabul, the militant Islamist group insisted it would protect the rights of women, the media and diplomats, writes deputy political editor Rob Merrick.

But, asked about violent punishment of offenders – a hallmark of brutal Taliban rule in the 1990s – a spokesman said: “That is up to the religious followers and the courts. They will decide about the punishment.”

Taliban admits to possible return of amputations, stonings and executions

Watch: Smoke seen rising in Kabul as US embassy destroys sensitive documents

17:40 , Chiara Giordano

This video footage shows smoke billowing into the sky in an area where foreign embassies are based in Kabul.

US military officials have confirmed diplomats have been destroying sensitive documents before the Taliban’s ultimate takeover.

Watch in full here:

Watch: Smoke seen rising in Kabul as US embassy destroys sensitive documents

US embassy reports gunfire at Kabul airport, telling Americans in city to shelter in place

17:43 , Chiara Giordano

The US embassy has issued a security alert over gunfire at Kabul airport.

Reuters said there were reports of gunfire as US troops aid an evacuation of most American diplomats and personnel.

My colleague Louise Boyle has our breaking news story:

US embassy reports gunfire at Kabul airport, telling Americans in city to shelter in place

Taliban will soon declare Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from presidential palace, says official

17:46 , Lamiat Sabin

A Taliban official has said they will soon declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the presidential palace in Kabul.

Boris Johnson says priority is to get UK nationals out of Afghanistan

17:52 , Lamiat Sabin

The Prime Minister has said that his government’s priority is to get British nationals out of Afghanistan “as fast as we can”.

After chairing a Cobra meeting in Downing Street, Boris Johnson said the UK was determined to deliver on its obligations to Afghan people who had helped it over the past 20 years.

He said: “The ambassador has been there at the airport to process the applications.”

PM warns Afghanistan against becoming ‘terror breeding ground'

18:12 , Lamiat Sabin

Boris Johnson has said Britain will work with allies to try to prevent Afghanistan again becoming a “breeding ground for terrorism”.

The Prime Minister said that Nato forces should work “collectively” to send a strong message to Afghanistan to state that a Taliban-run government will not be recognised internationally.

He said: “I think it is very important ... to get over to that new government – be it by the Taliban or anybody else – that nobody wants Afghanistan once again to be a breeding ground for terror and we don’t think it is in the interests of the people of Afghanistan that it should lapse back into that pre-2001 status.

“What the UK will be doing is working with our partners in the UN Security, in Nato, to get that message over. We don’t want anybody to bilaterally recognise the Taliban.

“We want a united position among all the like-minded, as far as we can get one, so that we do whatever we can to prevent Afghanistan lapsing back into a breeding ground for terror.”

Labour urges Priti Patel to not ‘abandon’ Afghans

18:31 , Lamiat Sabin

Labour’s shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds has called on the government to “live up to our obligations” to the Afghan people as Taliban fighters stood poised to take control of Kabul.

He wrote to Home Secretary Priti Patel saying that safe and legal asylum routes need to be put in place, and that the UK’s resettlement scheme “must, urgently, be expanded to ensure people to whom we owe a huge debt are not abandoned.”

He said the process must include looking to help Afghan workers who helped in areas such as military, media and those who supported the work of the Department for International Development.

The Home Office issued a statement on Twitter on Sunday morning, saying that it has already resettled more than 3,300 Afghan staff and their families who have worked for the UK.

It added: “We will continue to fulfil our international obligations and moral commitments. Home Office officials are right now working to protect British nationals and help former UK staff and other eligible people travel to the UK”.

PM calls for all MPs to attend Afghanistan debate in Parliament

18:43 , Lamiat Sabin

It’s important that MPs return to Parliament this week even if it is “logistically difficult” in the middle of August, Boris Johnson has said.

Parliament has been recalled during the summer recess for Wednesday, from 9.30am to 2.30pm, to debate the military withdrawal in Afghanistan.

The PM said “the wonders of Zoom technology are there” for MPs who cannot attend in person.

It comes as the Taliban said it will soon declare Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the presidential palace in Kabul.

Nato forces helping to keep Kabul airport open for evacuations

18:47 , Lamiat Sabin

Nato forces are helping to keep Kabul airport open to “facilitate and coordinate evacuations,” Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato general secretary has said.

Taliban airs songs and footage on TV – report

19:03 , Lamiat Sabin

Taliban songs and footage are being broadcast in Afghanistan, according to a reporter in Kabul.

Radio Free Europe journalist Mustafa Kazemi tweeted that local television channel called “Hilal” is airing the songs and clips.

He said that families are creating patrol schedules for their neighbourhoods as looting is “the main worry for many people at this time.”

Mr Kazemi, who tweets with the handle @CombatJourno, also tweeted that “tonight is going to be a very very difficult and challenging night in Kabul”, and that he is “hopelessly stuck” in the city with his wife and his 11-month-old daughter.

He added: “Like myself, hundreds of other journalists are also stuck here.”

Sign up to Independent’s free virtual event on Afghanistan

19:18 , Lamiat Sabin

An exclusive Zoom event called ‘Afghanistan: A nation abandoned?’ will be hosted by The Independent next month.

Join our expert panel, including our defence editor Kim Sengupta – who is in Kabul – as they discuss the situation in Afghanistan and what the future holds for the country.

Sign up here for a free ticket for the event on Wednesday 1 September from 6.30pm to 7.30pm BST.

Albania and Kosovo to temporarily host Afghan refugees for US

19:23 , Lamiat Sabin

Albania and Kosovo have accepted a request from the United States to temporarily take in Afghan refugees.

The two countries said on Sunday that they will take in the US-affiliated Afghans who are seeking visas to enter the US.

In Tirana, Prime Minister Edi Rama Rama said: “We will not say ‘No’, not just because our great allies ask us to, but because we are Albania.”

In Kosovo, President Vjosa Osmani said: “Without any hesitation and ... conditioning I gave my consent to that humanitarian operation.”

Ms Osmani said Afghan refugees would be vetted by the US security authorities, and added they would stay in Kosovo until their documentation for US immigration visas was arranged.

British troops arrive in Kabul to help with evacuations

19:36 , Lamiat Sabin

About 600 British soldiers in total will be deployed to Kabul.

They will be helping to evacuate British nationals and entitled persons as part of Operation Pitting.

Kabul airport now closed to commercial flights as military evacuations continue, according to US military officials.

The US is also sending about 3,000 troops to facilitate the departure of its remaining nationals.

Ghani reveals he left Afghanistan to avoid clashes with Taliban

19:49 , Lamiat Sabin

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said today that he left Afghanistan in order to avoid bloodshed.

It comes as the Taliban entered the presidential palace in Kabul.

The group is poised to soon declare the country the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” according to a Taliban official.

Mr Ghani left in order to avoid clashes with the Taliban that would endanger millions of Kabul residents, according to an English translation of a message he posted on Facebook.

The post is his first comment since fleeing Afghanistan.

He did not say which country he is in currently.

A senior interior ministry official told Reuters news agency that Mr Ghani left for Tajikistan.

Al-Jazeera airs footage of Taliban fighters in presidential palace

20:03 , Lamiat Sabin

Al-Jazeera is airing footage of Taliban commanders and fighters in the Afghan presidential palace in Kabul.

Images show the fighters sitting around President Ghani’s table and lounging in seats, while holding machine guns and walkie-talkies.

BA avoiding Afghanistan’s airspace

20:17 , Lamiat Sabin

British Airways is not currently using Afghanistan’s airspace, the airline said on Sunday.

Biden’s allies and critics battle over whether fall of Kabul is his ‘Saigon moment’

20:45 , Chiara Giordano

The departure of US embassy personnel from Afghanistan as the government was toppled by the Taliban has left President Joe Biden facing uncomfortable questions about the legacy of the US in the country, as well as criticism over his own administration’s handling of the final days of America’s longest-running war.

My colleague John Bowden reports from Washington DC:

Biden’s allies and critics battle over whether fall of Kabul is his ‘Saigon moment’

People filmed pouring into Kabul airport as they attempt to flee capital

21:26 , Chiara Giordano

Video footage shared on Twitter claims to show people pouring into Kabul airport as they attempt to flee the Afghanistan capital.

In a clip posted by Disclose.tv, people can be heard screaming as they appear to rush through an entrance to the airport.

The account claims gunshots can also be heard.

UK’s Foreign Secretary accused of going ‘AWOL’

21:31 , Lamiat Sabin

The UK’s Foreign Secretary is being accused of going “AWOL” while the Taliban has been taking hold of Afghanistan.

Dominic Raab had been on holiday for the past week.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said Mr Raab was returning to the UK on Sunday and was “personally overseeing” the department’s response to the crisis.

However shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said that his absence during a moment of major international upheaval was unacceptable.

“For the Foreign Secretary to go AWOL during an international crisis of this magnitude is nothing short of shameful,” she said.

“A catastrophe is unfolding in front of our eyes and while the Foreign Secretary is nowhere to be seen, hundreds of British nationals are being evacuated and his department is cancelling scholarships for young Afghans.”

Afghan Americans protest in Washington DC

21:40 , Lamiat Sabin

A number of Afghan Americans have been protesting outside the White House.

Protesters held up placards that read “America betrayed us” and “20 years of war for what?”

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has authorised another 1,000 troops to help evacuate US citizens and Afghans who worked for them from Kabul, an anonymous US official told Reuters news agency today.

This raises eventual US troop levels in Afghanistan to 6,000, up from 4,000 on Friday.

The increase comes after the US embassy warned the security situation at Kabul’s airport was changing quickly.

Chaos continues at Kabul airport as Afghans try to flee

22:14 , Lamiat Sabin

More reports are coming in of the chaos at Kabul airport, as many hundreds of people are trying to leave Afghanistan.

Footage shows thousands of people rushing to the airport, and in one video hundreds of them can be seen running and screaming while gunshots are heard in the background.

Another video shows the tarmac of the airport completely packed with people attempting to board overcrowded planes.

In one video, hundreds of people try to board a plane for Istanbul that has capacity for just a few hundred passengers.

The Kam Air flight scheduled to depart at 19:10 BST had yet to leave the airport three hours later, according to flight records online.

Other people are seen in another video trying to board an aircraft that appears to be a military C-17 airlifter.

Nato has reported that civil air traffic at Kabul airport has been discontinued, and that only military aircraft are being accepted.

Flights suspended due to gunshots around Kabul airport – report

22:34 , Lamiat Sabin

Air traffic in Kabul airport has been suspended due to gunfire, according to a report.

The flights have been suspended because of gunshots in the “vicinity” of the airport, news website Lebanon24 said.

It comes after footage was posted online of thousands of Afghan people fleeing to the airport to board planes out of the country, while gunshots could be heard in the background.

Afghan president Ashraf Ghani in Uzbekistan – report

22:57 , Lamiat Sabin

Ashraf Ghani, who fled Afghanistan as the Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday, arrived to Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent with his wife, the Al-Jazeera television channel reported.

The channel quoted the Afghan President’s bodyguard as having said: “Ghani, his wife and the head of his national security office left the country and arrived to Tashkent.”

The Al-Jazeera report was also cited by Russian news agency Tass.

Earlier today, Mr Ghani posted on Facebook saying that he had left Afghanistan to avoid clashes with the Taliban to prevent bloodshed, but did not specify his location.

It was reported earlier that he had fled to Tajikistan.

Taliban wants to develop international relations, says spokesman

23:03 , Lamiat Sabin

A spokesman for the Taliban’s political office told Al-Jazeera on Sunday that the group does not want to live in isolation and wants relations with the international community.

He said the group has several channels of communication with foreign countries and wants to develop relations.

“We ask all countries and entities to sit with us to settle any issues,” spokesman Mohammad Naeem told the channel.

He also said that the group respects women’s and minorities’ rights and freedom of expression in light of Sharia law.

Reporting by Reuters

Biden team surprised by rapid Taliban takeover of Afghanistan

23:41 , Lamiat Sabin

US President Joe Biden and his senior officials have been stunned by the Taliban’s nearly complete takeover of Afghanistan.

It comes as the planned withdrawal of American forces after 20 years became a mission to ensure a safe evacuation of diplomatic and civilian personnel from the country.

Leading figures in the Biden administration acknowledged they were caught off guard with the speed of the collapse of Afghan security forces and president Ashraf Ghani fleeing the country.

“We’ve seen that that force has been unable to defend the country, and that has happened more quickly than we anticipated,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN.

Reporting by AP

23:48 , Lamiat Sabin

That’s it for today’s updates. Thank you for following.