8.27pm EDT
20:27
A reminder that the US has been in Afghanistan for 20 years. Biden had vowed to be out by 11 September this year, (the 20-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks).
In a statement on Saturday justifying sticking to that pledge, Biden pointed out that the US has spent almost $1tn dollars in the country in that period, and trained over 30,000 Afghan security forces.
8.23pm EDT
20:23
Here is some insight on what the Taliban’s plans may be, from the New York Times. I will try to bring you the best expert estimates we can find on how long it is expected to take for the US complete evacuations:
The senior US official said Zalmay Khalilzad, the chief American negotiator with the Taliban in peace talks in Doha, had asked the extremist group to not enter Kabul until the United States concludes the evacuation mission. Taliban officials have countered by asking that the US cease airstrikes against its fighters who are rampaging across Afghanistan, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the high-level negotiations.
8.20pm EDT
20:20
This is a sobering reminder from the Wall Street Journal’s reporter on Afghanistan, Sune Engel Rasmussen (formerly of the Guardian) of how swiftly the Taliban has been able to capture cities across the country:
(@SuneEngel)
Let’s recap how astonishing the collapse of Afghanistan has been: before last week, the Taliban had only captured one major city since 2001 – Kunduz in 2015 – and only for a few days.
Now, in the span of 8 days, they have seized everything but Kabul.
8.18pm EDT
20:18
The Taliban captured Mazar-i-Sharif, the country’s fourth-largest city and the government’s last major stronghold in the north on Saturday, as they tightened their grip on the country and closed in on Kabul.
Residents in Kabul were last night gripped by fear and a panicked search for escape routes from the bloodshed many fear could lie ahead. With the collapse of Mazar, the only cities outside the militants’ grasp are eastern Jalalabad, where the Taliban were advancing, and the capital itself.
In the afternoon, President Ashraf Ghani addressed the nation. Kabul had been swirling with rumours that he would step down to pave the way for a peace deal to spare the capital and its population of over 4 million people.
Instead he said he would reorganise the military, and made vague reference to “starting consultations” across society and with international allies. He may not have long to make a decision as much of the country collapses into Taliban hands.
The Guardian’s Emma Graham-Harrison and Michael Savage report:
8.08pm EDT
20:08
Summary
This is our live coverage of the latest developments in Afghanistan as the Taliban surrounds Kabul, after taking control of the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, the last government stronghold in the country’s north.
My name is Helen Sullivan and I’ll be bringing you the news from Afghanistan as it happens.
Here are the key recent developments:
US President Joe Biden has ordered an increased deployment of 5,000 troops to accelerate the departure of US diplomats and their Afghan allies, as he said America would not reverse its decision to leave Afghanistan, despite the Taliban advances.
“I was the fourth president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan – two Republicans, two Democrats. I would not, and will not, pass this war on to a fifth,” he said.
Kabul has been in total blackout for at least two hours. The time there now is nearly 5am.
We will bring you the latest developments as they happen.
If you are in Kabul, see news you think we may have missed, or have questions, get in touch with me on Twitter @helenrsullivan.
Updated
at 8.11pm EDT
English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish