- Title: Profile of embattled Afghan President Ashraf Ghani as Taliban enter Kabul
- Date: 15th August 2021
- Summary: Ghani welcomed the Taliban leader's commitment for peace talks during his Eid al-Fitr message. A message purportedly from reclusive Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar on July 15 appeared for the first time to signal approval for peace talks with the Afghan government, a week after milestone meetings between the two sides in Pakistan. It represented the first word in the name of Mullah Omar on the budding peace process that has deeply split the Afghan insurgents' leadership. Pakistan hosted the meeting in a tentative step towards ending more than 13 years of war in neighbouring Afghanistan. KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (FILE - JULY 17, 2015) (REUTERS) GHANI GREETING OFFICIALS GHANI STANDING NEXT TO FORMER PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI GHANI STANDING BEFORE SPEECH (SOUNDBITE) (Dari) AFGHAN PRESIDENT ASHRAF GHANI, SAYING: "I appreciate the announcement made by the leader of the Taliban Mullah Mohammad Omar who supported the peace talks as the only salutation for Afghanistan." Ghani praised the country's security forces on October 1 for retaking the strategic northern city of Kunduz from the Taliban. The once-quiet north of Afghanistan saw escalating violence in recent years as the insurgency spread, and swathes of Kunduz province have repeatedly come under siege this year. Yet the Taliban's pre-dawn assault on Kunduz three days previous caught the Afghan police and army by surprise, handing the militants arguably their biggest victory in 14 years of war. The capitulation may have consequences for President Ghani, whose first year in office has been clouded by political infighting and escalating violence around the country. Fighting continued in other parts of the city, the seizure of which represented a major victory for the insurgents and raised questions over whether NATO-trained Afghan forces were ready to go it alone now most foreign combat troops have left. KUNDUZ, AFGHANISTAN (FILE - OCTOBER 1, 2015) (REUTERS) CONVOY OF AFGHAN SECURITY FORCES DRIVING NEAR KUNDUZ AIRPORT AFTER RECAPTURING THE CITY FROM TALIBAN KHOJA GHAR, TAKHAR, AFGHANISTAN (FILE - OCTOBER 1, 2015) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) AFGHAN SECURITY PERSONNEL GATHERING MORE OF CONVOY OF AFGHAN FORCES ARRIVING IN KHOJA GHAR DISTRICT OF TAKHAR KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (FILE - OCTOBER 1, 2015) (REUTERS) GHANI WALKING TO PODIUM FOR A NEWS CONFERENCE GHANI SPEAKING
- Embargoed: 29th August 2021 13:16
- Keywords: Ashraf Ghani preliminary results presidential election slim majority
- Location: MAZAR-I-SHARIF, HERAT, KABUL, KUNDUZ, KHOJA GHAR, AFGHANISTAN / BRUSSELS, BELGIUM / LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM/ WASHINGTON D.C., U.S. / RAWALPINDI, ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN/ MUNICH, GERMANY / BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN
- City: MAZAR-I-SHARIF, HERAT, KABUL, KUNDUZ, KHOJA GHAR, AFGHANISTAN / BRUSSELS, BELGIUM / LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM/ WASHINGTON D.C., U.S. / RAWALPINDI, ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN/ MUNICH, GERMANY / BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN
- Country: Afghanistan
- Topics: Asia / Pacific
- Reuters ID: LVA009EQF26H3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Embattled Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was holding talks with the U.S. peace envoy and top NATO officials, a palace official said on Sunday (August 15) after Taliban fighters entered Kabul.
The arrival of the Taliban in the Afghan capital capped a lightning advance by the Islamist militants who were ousted from Kabul 20 years ago by U.S.-led forces after the Sept 11 attacks on the United States. A Taliban spokesman said in a statement that the group was in talks with the government for a peaceful surrender of the capital.
The collapse of the Afghan government defence has stunned diplomats - just last week, a U.S. intelligence estimate said Kabul could hold out for at least three months.
Power would be handed over to a transitional administration, the government's acting interior minister, Abdul Sattar Mirzakawal, said in a tweet on the Tolo news channel. "There won't be an attack on the city, it is agreed that there will be a peaceful handover," he said without elaborating.
On Saturday (August 14) Ghani addressed the nation for the first time since the Taliban takeover gained momentum and said he was in talks with various parties. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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