Afghanistan Falls To The Taliban Again As The U.S.-Backed Government Collapses
In a sudden, final offensive, the Taliban pushed into Kabul, as Afghanistan's U.S.-backed president left the country and U.S. diplomatic personnel beat a quick retreat from the embassy compound.
Updated August 15, 2021 at 5:51 PM ET
Twenty years after being removed from power in a U.S.-led invasion, Taliban militiamen swept to into Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, on Sunday, facing little resistance from Afghan government forces.
Within hours, Afghanistan's Washington-backed president had left the country and the flag at the U.S. Embassy had been lowered amid a hasty evacuation of diplomatic personnel.
Ashraf Ghani, Afghanistan's president, said on Facebook that his was "a hard choice," but that he decided to leave to prevent bloodshed. He signed off his post with "Long Live Afghanistan." The Taliban released a statement saying they had entered the capital of 6 million people and were working to restore law and order.
On Saturday,
