An acting Afghan interior minister has appeared on a video of Tolo News - a local television station - to state that the government is preparing for a ‘peaceful transfer of power’ to the Taliban, reports bdnews24.com citing to media reports.
Minister Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal added that Kabul would not be attacked, a Reuters news alert reported.
The Taliban, in a statement, said they would use force to take the capital, but were currently in negotiations with the government. “The Islamic Emirate instructs all its forces to stand at the gates of Kabul, not to try to enter the city,” a spokesman said, using the name by which the insurgents refer to themselves.
The Islamist insurgents’ rapid advance across the country brought them to the outskirts of the capital on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the US military has begun evacuating American diplomatic and civilian staff.