Explosions heard in Kabul as Afghan president says he left to avoid bloodshed

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has confirmed he has left the country as the Taliban entered Kabul, saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed.

Reuters had earlier reported his departure for Tajikistan, citing a senior interior ministry official.

But in a Facebook post late on Sunday, Mr Ghani said he was faced with a "hard choice" between the "armed Taliban" or "leaving the dear country that I dedicated my life to protecting the past 20 years".

Live updates on Afghanistan as Taliban enters Kabul

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Thousands gather in Kabul to meet the Taliban as it takes over the city

"If left unchecked, countless patriots would be martyred and the city of Kabul would be devastated, resulting in a major humanitarian catastrophe in the six-million-strong city," he said.

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"The Taliban had made it clear that they were ready to carry out a bloody attack on all of Kabul and the people of Kabul to oust me. In order to prevent a flood of bloodshed, I decided to leave."

Image: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is pictured speaking inside parliament in Kabul

His post confirmed Taliban officials' claims they have taken control of Afghanistan's presidential palace, alongside 11 districts of the capital.

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It came amid reports of several explosions in city, despite the Taliban saying that they wanted a "peaceful transition of power".

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Boris Johnson says that Afghanistan must not revert to being a breeding ground for terror

Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired a COBRA meeting on the Afghan crisis this evening after requesting to recall parliament from its summer break on Wednesday.

He said the UK and its international partners should work to ensure "Afghanistan does not become a breeding ground for terror" once again.

Mr Johnson added that the "situation remains difficult" and the world is facing a "change of regime in Kabul".

British troops from the 16 Air Assault Brigade landed in Kabul on Sunday, while British Airways and Virgin Atlantic ordered its pilots to stay away from Afghan airspace over security concerns.

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British troops arriving in Kabul to evacuate UK nationals from the airport

Mr Johnson said the government is trying to get as many British nationals out of the country as it can "in the next few days".

A Foreign Office spokesperson said the UK had "reduced" its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, "but our ambassador remains in Kabul and UK government staff continue to work to provide assistance to British nationals and to our Afghan staff".

According to The Sunday Telegraph, Britain's ambassador to Afghanistan Sir Laurie Bristow is going to be flown out of the country by tonight.

Image: A map shows Taliban gains in Afghanistan by 15 August

The Taliban has made rapid gains over the past week, with Western countries urgently deploying troops to assist with the evacuation of diplomatic staff.

Crowds of people were seen at the border gate to Pakistan in an attempt to leave the country over the weekend, as militants drove through the streets of Kabul.

The Islamists said there would be no fighting in the city and anyone who wants to leave should be able to do so peacefully, with women told to head for protected areas.

But Mr Ghani's comments on Sunday painted a very different picture, with international observers fearing the worst.

The UN Security Council said it would hold an emergency meeting on Monday morning.

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Former International Development Secretary Rory Stewart warns of the dangers of the Afghan crisis

US President Joe Biden announced he was sending 6,000 more troops to Kabul to help remove personnel - and the evacuation of the American embassy has now begun.

US diplomats have been urgently destroying sensitive documents, with helicopters seen flying over the US embassy.

The Biden administration has warned Taliban officials any actions that put American personnel at risk "will be met with a swift and strong US military response".

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Stuart Ramsay spots a Taliban procession in Kabul while speaking live to Sky News

The president has defended his decision to withdraw US troops from the country in the coming weeks, and said the task of fighting back against Taliban insurgents must fall to Afghan forces.

He warned that an indefinite American military presence in Afghanistan is not an option, and has vowed not to pass on the war to a fifth US president.

But the handling of the crisis has attracted criticism from some American politicians, with his predecessor Donald Trump claiming that Mr Biden "gets it wrong every time on foreign policy".

This morning, the President and Vice President met with their national security team and senior officials to hear updates on the draw down of our civilian personnel in Afghanistan, evacuations of SIV applicants and other Afghan allies, and the ongoing security situation in Kabul. pic.twitter.com/U7IpK3Hyj8

â€" The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 15, 2021

In a strongly worded statement, Mr Trump said: "After I took out ISIS, I established a credible deterrent. That deterrent is now gone. The Taliban no longer has fear or respect for America, or America's power.

"What a disgrace it will be when the Taliban raises their flag over America's embassy in Kabul. This is complete failure through weakness, incompetence, and total strategic incoherence."

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