The US embassy in the Afghan capital, Kabul, called on its citizens there to hide in their places, while France decided to move its embassy to an area near Kabul Airport, stressing that the embassy will remain ready to evacuate all French citizens who may still be inside Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported, quoting an official in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), suspending all civilian flights from Kabul airport and allowing only military aircraft to fly.

This comes, while the Taliban movement announced its control of the presidential palace in the capital, Kabul, and the spokesman for the movement, Zabihullah Mujahid, said that the elements of his movement began controlling Kabul, and the movement demanded the Afghan government to hand it over to power, while the head of the reconciliation committee confirmed that President Ashraf Ghani left the country.

The US embassy in Kabul said, in a security warning today, Sunday, that the security situation in Kabul is changing rapidly, including at the airport, from which reports of gunshots are received at a time when US forces are evacuating Americans from there.

In Washington, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed deep concern about reports of the Taliban's treatment of all Afghans, and said the United States, the international community, and the Afghan government should do everything in their power to protect women from inhumane treatment by the Taliban.

Earlier, Washington called on its citizens in Afghanistan not to go to the US embassy in Kabul or the airport in the Afghan capital, and announced the immediate halt of consular operations.

Reuters quoted a US official as saying that Washington's calculations would not change its military strategy in Afghanistan, unless the Taliban obstructed the evacuations.

The official added that the charge d'affaires of the US embassy in Afghanistan is now working from the capital's airport, explaining that less than 50 employees of the US embassy will remain in Kabul at the present time.


evacuating nationals

In Paris, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement that his country had decided to move its embassy in Afghanistan to an area near Kabul Airport, and added that "by order of the President of the Republic, the Ministry of the Armed Forces will deploy in the coming hours military reinforcements and air forces in the UAE so that the start can begin. in the first evacuations to Abu Dhabi.

In turn, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced today, Sunday, that it is working to facilitate the evacuation of several diplomatic missions from Afghanistan through UAE airports.

The ministry added in a statement that the evacuations include diplomatic missions from the United States, Britain, France, Canada, Australia, Germany, Egypt and the European Union.

In the same context, European Union spokesman Peter Stano told Al Jazeera that intensive efforts are being made to ensure the safety of European Union crews in Afghanistan.

He explained that it is about arrangements and efforts, which he described as urgent and complex, to ensure the security and safety of the European Union crews in Afghanistan, in coordination with the member states of the Union.

He added that the European Union is closely following the situation in Afghanistan and that diplomatic and political efforts are underway to confront the current developments.

The EU spokesperson called for an immediate ceasefire and negotiation of a political solution to the crisis in Afghanistan, and stressed that European support for Afghanistan remains contingent on a peaceful settlement of the conflict and respect for the fundamental rights of all Afghan citizens, including women, children and minorities.

British concern

In London, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday that no one should mutually recognize a Taliban-made government in Afghanistan, adding that it was clear that there would be a new administration in the country very soon.

"We don't want anyone on the bilateral level to recognize the Taliban," he said in an interview. "We want a unified position among everyone as much as possible."

For his part, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Sunday expressed his deep concern about the future of Afghanistan, and called on Taliban militants to end the violence after they entered the capital, Kabul.

"I share Foreign Minister Qureshi's deep concern for the future of Afghanistan," Raab wrote on Twitter, referring to Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

"We agree that the international community must take a united position in calling on the Taliban to end the violence and the need to respect human rights," he added.

A source in the office of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced today, Sunday, that the British Parliament will cut its summer recess next week to discuss the situation in Afghanistan with the entry of Taliban fighters, the capital, Kabul.

And the British Home Office said - earlier - that it is working to protect its citizens and help former employees of Britain who are eligible to leave Afghanistan.

In Austria, government officials said today that their country intends to hold a conference at the end of this August or early September;

To support the Central Asian countries neighboring Afghanistan.

And the Austrian news agency said - quoting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - that the conference, which will be held online, will also include other members - not identified - in the European Union.

In Germany, local media reported that the German Foreign Ministry decided to close its embassy in Kabul and asked its citizens to leave Afghanistan.


In Doha, the Qatari Foreign Ministry affirmed its commitment to continue working with the United Nations and international partners to bring lasting peace to Afghanistan, and said that Qatar is closely following developments in Kabul and calls for an immediate, comprehensive and lasting ceasefire in Afghanistan.

Security Council

In Moscow, the Russian President's special envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, announced that Moscow is ready to work with the transitional government that will be formed in Afghanistan.

He said in statements to the Russian news agency "TASS" today, Sunday, that his country has always supported the transitional government in Afghanistan, and therefore, of course, it will work with the prospective government.

When asked whether Russia will recognize the Taliban movement as the legitimate government in Afghanistan, Kabulov said that his country has not yet recognized this, stressing that "everything has its time, we will live and see."

Earlier, an official in the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that his country was working with other countries to hold an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Afghanistan, where the Taliban movement is on the verge of a complete seizure of power.

"We are working on that (convening a Security Council meeting)," the official told Russian news agencies, stressing that a meeting would be held soon.

In light of these developments, Pope Francesco called - on Sunday - for dialogue in order to end the conflict in Afghanistan so that its people can live in peace, security and mutual respect.

In turn, the Iranian embassy in Afghanistan announced that it had transferred its consular services from the city of Mazar-i-Sharif to its embassy in Kabul due to the security conditions.

Activists on social media broadcast pictures that they said were of Taliban fighters inside the Iranian consulate building in Mazar-i-Sharif.

For his part, an official in the Iranian Interior Ministry said that two months ago, Tehran developed a plan to house Afghan refugees in border areas in eastern Iran, after the security developments in Afghanistan.

The Iranian official added that Tehran expected to face a wave of displacement to its eastern borders and developed this plan on this basis, stressing that this plan was activated in the province of Razavi Khorasan, South Khorasan, Sistan and Baluchistan in the east of the country, and shelters were provided for a number of Afghan citizens who moved towards the Iranian border. And Iran provided these refugees with the food and health care they needed, he said.

In neighboring Pakistan, a Foreign Ministry statement said that Islamabad is closely monitoring the changing situation in Afghanistan, and that it wants peace in Afghanistan and does not favor one side over the other.

The statement also indicated that the Pakistani embassy in Kabul is working to facilitate the exit of everyone who wants to leave, and a cell has been formed in the Ministry of Interior to decide on visas urgently.