Kabul

Anti-Taliban leader Ahmad Massoud called on his troops to take up arms and claimed to be ready with the return of the Taliban.

Massoud also insisted on following in the footsteps of his father, Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was an anti-Taliban leader and was assassinated by Al-Qaeda nearly 20 years ago.

Turkey is ready if needed to hold talks with representatives of the Taliban movement when they form the government, President Tayyip Erdogan told a news conference in Ankara on Thursday.

"Since our aim is to ensure stability and security in Afghanistan - TASS, we will, if necessary, discuss our common agenda with that government that the Taliban will form," Erdogan said.

Outpaced by Events

US President Joe Biden has said US troops may stay in Afghanistan beyond his withdrawal deadline, as armed Taliban fighters kept desperate evacuees from reaching Kabul's airport.

Mr Biden wants US forces out by the end of this month, but up to 15,000 US citizens are stranded in the country.

The US president told in tv interview the turmoil in Kabul was unavoidable.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided information about 13 Bulgarian citizens who managed to evacuate from Afghanistan. Five of them are already in Dubai (UAE), and another 8 Bulgarians have landed in Doha (Qatar) after a flight from Kabul. The second group of compatriots worked in Afghanistan for the EU Permanent Representation.

A Romanian Air Force military aircraft landed safely at Kabul International Airport, where it took over a Romanian citizen, an employee of a NATO agency.

It should be reminded that by taking Kabul, the Taliban took control of the whole of Afghanistan, raised their flag and announced that their next move would be the formation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
That is what happened, less than five days after the fall of Kabul.

Turkey's foreign minister on Aug. 18 discussed the latest situation in Afghanistan with his Russian, South Korean, Chinese, Tajik and Australian counterparts, according to diplomatic sources.

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The EU will have to talk with the Taliban after the group seized control of Afghanistan before officially recognising them, foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said after online meeting of EU foreign ministers.

"The Taliban have won the war, so we will have to talk with them," he pointed out, while stressing this does not mean moving quickly to official recognition. 

The EU will have to talk with the Taliban after the group seized control of Afghanistan before recognising them, foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday. "The Taliban have won the war, so we will have to talk with them," he pointed out, while stressing this does not mean moving quickly to official recognition. He was speaking after a EU foreign affairs ministers online meeting.