On August 15, the Taliban entered the outskirts of the Afghan capital, the only major city left in government hands, and vowed not to take it by force, as talks with senior officials were said to be under way on a peaceful transfer of power.
Kabul Residents Watch Nervously As Taliban Surrounds Afghan Capital
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Taliban fighters sit on a vehicle along the street in Jalalabad. The eastern city fell to the militants early on August 15, reportedly with no resistance.
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An Afghan soldier stands in a military vehicle on a street in Kabul. Taliban militants were seen on the outskirts of the capital on August 15, even as the government called for calm.
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A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies near the embassy in Kabul. The United States started the withdrawal of its diplomats on August 15, as U.S. troops began arriving in Kabul to protect the evacuation operation and keep control of the airport.
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Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (in mask) arrives in Mazar-e Sharif to inspect the security situation of the northern provinces on August 11. By August 14, the city had fallen with minimum fighting to the Taliban. Ghani left Kabul for Tajikistan on August 15.
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Afghans walk toward the airport in Kabul. There are reports of huge traffic jams on the road to the airport, as people look to leave before the Taliban takes the city.
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People arriving from Afghanistan make their way at the Friendship Gate crossing point at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border town of Chaman, on August 15. Pakistan has said it is not prepared to absorb another wave of Afghans fleeing the conflict, as it has in the past.
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Afghans wait in front of Kabul Bank in long lines for hours to try to withdraw money.
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Taliban fighters drive an Afghan National Army vehicle through the streets of the eastern Laghman Province on August 15. Tens of thousands of Afghans have fled their homes, many fearing a return to the Taliban's oppressive rule.
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Afghans gather in front of the UN office in Tehran to protest Taliban rule in Afghanistan on August 15.
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A general view of U.S. Embassy in Kabul. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected comparisons between the U.S. departure from Kabul and the chaotic exit after the Vietnam War, as Russia said it was working with other countries to hold an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan.
