By Jack Phillips Epoch Times

Afghanistan’s president, Ashraf Ghani, on Sunday fled the country as the Taliban terrorist group surrounded the capital, Kabul, according to a senior official, while the Taliban entered the Afghan presidential palace.

Photos circulating online show members of the Taliban, holding AK-47-style rifles, inside the palace. Speaking to Al Jazeera TV during a live stream, a member of the group who was inside the presidential palace said the Taliban is planning to declare Afghanistan the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” in the near future.

“We have reached a victory that we couldn’t imagine,” said Mullah Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban, in a video addressed to the group’s supporters. He added that “now it’s about how we serve and secure our people, and ensure their good life to best of ability,” according to a translation.

Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, confirmed on social media that Ghani fled the country, coming about a day after Ghani claimed that he would be able to muster the remnants of the Afghan government forces to mount a defense of Kabul, a city of 6 million.

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