'Will not bow to Taliban', says Afghanistan vice president as Ashraf Ghani flees

Vice President Amrullah Saleh said he can not be under the same ceiling as the Taliban and will never bow down to the terrorists.

As the Taliban claimed to have taken control of the presidential palace in Kabul on Sunday, vice president Amrullah Saleh announced on social media that he will never bow to the Taliban, not under any circumstances. "I will bever betray the soul and legacy of my hero Ahmad Shah Masoud, the commander, the legend and the guide. I won't disappoint millions who listened to me. I will never be under one ceiling with the Taliban. NEVER," the vice president wrote on Twitter as negotiation for an interim setup was going on. Reports said Saleh left Kabul and might have gone to Panhshiri Valley.

Reports said Saleh left Kabul and might have gone to Panhshiri Valley. (AFP)

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was evacuated by the United States and was taken to Dushanbe in Tajikistan, sources said. It is not yet confirmed whether he has resigned from the post or not.

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Reports said Ashraf Ghani has handed the authority of solving the crisis to political leaders of the country. Acting defence minister Bismillah Mohammadi said a delegation, comprising Younus Qanooni, Ahmad Wali Massoud, Mohammad Mohaqiq, will travel to Doha on Monday for talks.

After entering Kabul, the Taliban announced that the fighters have been ordered to exercise restraint. There was no attack, no celebratory gunfire as the insurgent group after decimating the Afghan army in major parts of the country, sees the opportunity of a bloodless coup. A smooth transition of power within a few days.

To much surprise of the global leaders, the Taliban swept through Afghanistan in a matter of weeks as soon as the withdrawal of the US and NATO forces began. In many cases, the militants faced little resistance from Afghan’s US-trained military, raising questions over Ashraf Ghani's leadership. Elected in 2014, Ghani took over from Hamid Karzai, who led Afghanistan after the US-led invasion in 2001 and oversaw the conclusion of the US mission. Ghani was never accepted by the Taliban and "peace talks" made little headway.