A senior Taliban official has accused the West of seeking “to create panic and chaos” in Afghanistan, following the Islamist group’s takeover of the capital Kabul.
Speaking on Sunday, Amir Khan Mutaqi said that the only place in chaos right now is the Kabul Airport, where people - he alleged - are being shot and killed.
He went on to claim the US was trying to hide its defeat by creating an "evacuation drama".
Mutaqi also addressed potential dissatisfaction within Taliban ranks, arguing that “certain decisions are made in the long-term interest” of the movement and its role in Afghanistan.
He also announced that the Taliban is in talks with “all factions” to reach an agreement on a future government.
These Afghans arrived in south-east Iran days after the Taliban took controlImage caption: These Afghans arrived in south-east Iran days after the Taliban took control
We have seen the pictures of thousands of Afghans trying to flee the country via Kabul airport, but it is unclear exactly how many people are trying to leave the country.
There are already 2.2 million Afghan refugees in neighbouring countries and 3.5 million people internally displaced as a result of years of conflict and political instability.
In recent days there have been reports of several thousand Afghans crossing into Pakistan and a few hundred arriving in Tajikstan and Uzbekistan, even though the Taliban now control the land borders. Iran has set up emergency tents in anticipation of an influx.
While a number of European countries have offered to take in refugees, they are keen to avoid a repeat of the 2015 migrant crisis, when there was a populist backlash to large numbers of refugees being allowed to enter EU territory, reports BBC.
