Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country on Sunday, according to Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation.
Why it matters: Ghani's removal from government had been a key demand by the Taliban as a part of the on-again-off-again peace talks, which insurgents slow rolled in order to gain military ground.
- “The former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan, leaving the country in this difficult situation,” Abdullah, a frequent critic of Ghani, said in a Facebook Live video. “God should hold him accountable.”
- Afghan government officials and Taliban leaders on Sunday have been holding talks at the presidential palace in Kabul, as the militant group pushes for an "unconditional surrender."
There has not been an announcement on when a power transfer might occur but former President Hamid Karzai released a statement announcing the creation of a "coordination council" that consists of him, Abdullah and Gulbudin Hekmatyar, leader of Hizb-e-Islami political and paramilitary group.
What else is happening: Helicopters are landing near the U.S. Embassy to conduct "rapid shuttle-run flights," per AP.
- A U.S. Embassy official told Reuters on Sunday morning, "We have a small batch of people leaving now as we speak, a majority of the staff are ready to leave ... the embassy continues to function. The embassy continues to function."
What they're saying: The U.S. Embassy in Kabul tweeted that it had "conveyed to the Taliban reps" in Doha, Qatar, where on-and-off peace talks have been taking place, that any action that put American personnel "or our mission at risk" would be met with a "swift" and "strong" response from the U.S. Defense Department.
- "Amb. Tracey Jacobson is in charge of a whole-of-government effort to process, transport, & relocate SIV applicants & other Afghan allies," the embassy added.
The big picture: President Biden on Saturday ordered 1,000 more troops to secure an airlift of U.S. Embassy personnel and Afghan allies as the Taliban closed in on the Afghan capital. Marines were assisting with airlift efforts.
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Editor's note: This article will be updated with relevant new developments as they occur.
