Taliban enter Kabul and demand SURRENDER: War chiefs head to presidential palace for ‘transfer of power’ while Afghan troops surrender Bagram air base – after SAS were flown in to evacuate British ambassador who was due to be on plane TONIGHT

  • Jalalabad fell under Taliban control without a fight early Sunday morning when the governor surrendered 
  • Taliban insurgents have captured the northern stronghold of Mazar-i-Sharif, the second-largest city Kandahar and third-largest city Herat all within the last 48 hours and are now closing in on Kabul on all sides
  • US is trying to strike a deal for the Taliban not to descend on Kabul until its 10,000 citizens are evacuated 
  • The Taliban has warned the US it must cease airstrikes or else its extremist fighters will move in
  • Joe Biden increased troops he is sending to Afghanistan to 5,000 to help evacuate US Embassy  

Taliban fighters have entered Kabul and are seeking a ‘peaceful transfer of power’ with gunfire heard near the presidential palace as the extremists seized huge swathes of the country in the wake of the US military departure.

The militants were seen in the districts of Kalakan, Qarabagh and Paghman hours after taking control of Jalalabad, the most recent major Afghan city to fall to the insurgents as they make huge gains across Afghanistan.

The US evacuated diplomats from its embassy by helicopter as a Taliban spokesman said they were looking for a ‘peaceful surrender’ of the capital after meeting little resistance, while the British ambassador moved to a safe place to prepare for an evacuation.

Foreigners in Kabul have been told they should either leave or register their presence with Taliban administrators, while RAF planes were scrambled to evacuate 6,000 Britons.

Taliban leader Mullah Baradar, who is based in Qatar, is heading to Afghanistan where he is expected to head the new interim government after the transfer which will see President Ghani relinquishing power.

The terror group said: ‘We don’t want a single, innocent Afghan civilian to be injured or killed as we take charge of Kabul but we have not declared a ceasefire.’

They added they do not intend to take Kabul ‘by force’ after entering the outskirts of the city, while Bagram air base was also surrendered by troops.

An Afghan official earlier confirmed Jalalabad fell under Taliban control without a fight early Sunday morning when the governor surrendered, saying it was ‘the only way to save civilian lives.’

Its fall has also given the Taliban control of a road leading to the Pakistan city of Peshawar, one of the main highways into landlocked Afghanistan.

Besides Kabul, just seven other provincial capitals out of the country’s 34 are yet to fall to the Taliban after the military, which had been trained by the US, failed to stave off their attacks.

The Taliban are now closing in on the capital from all sides, controlling territories to the North, South, East and West and advancing to just seven miles south of the city.

Hoda Ahmadi, a lawmaker from Logar province, told The Associated Press that the Taliban have reached the Char Asyab district on the outskirts of the capital, which was gripped by blackouts, communications outages and street fighting overnight Saturday as the country descends into chaos.

A US defense official has warned it could be only a matter of days before the insurgent fighters take control of Kabul. Just last week, US intelligence estimates expected the city to be able to hold out for at least three months.

As the Taliban advance accelerates, the US is scrambling to evacuate more than 10,000 American citizens from the capital, with officials said to be trying to strike a deal for Taliban fighters not to descend on Kabul until the US can pull everyone out.

However, a senior US official told the New York Times the Taliban have warned the US it must cease airstrikes or else its extremist fighters will move in.

Joe Biden has vowed that any action that puts Americans at risk ‘will be met with a swift and strong US military response.’