Taliban Occupy Presidential Palace, Declare New President

Afghanistan is now in the control of the Taliban.

Had Joe Biden been listening to everyone for the past few months, including his own intelligence people, he might have averted some of the humiliating disaster that has occurred this weekend. At this point, it’s not clear what the status of all the Americans in the country is, and many allies who were being threatened with death for helping us are now behind enemy lines and could face death.

As we previously reported, the Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani fled the country. The Taliban celebrated by entering the presidential palace and doing a live Al Jazeera broadcast from there. They chanted a Quran passage about victory from the presidential chair. One of them even claimed to have previously been held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay.

(Note: “ARG” below refers to the name of the presidential palace.)

LOOK: The Al Jazeera network broadcast what it said were live images of armed Taliban fighters roaming the presidential palace and posing at desks.

The militant group said it plans to soon declare a new “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” https://t.co/0DXn7XEkee pic.twitter.com/604l4dX5f4

— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) August 15, 2021

JUST IN – Taliban militants announce from the presidential palace in #Kabul that their leaders will come from Qatar as soon as it is safe for them. pic.twitter.com/Rcnd1oNfkg

— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) August 15, 2021

“I was detained in Guantanamo bay camp for several years”, says one of the Taliban leader inside the presidential palace in #Kabul. #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/GK9QpIcNW7

— Majd Khalifeh (@Majd_Khalifeh) August 15, 2021

And another image from the President’s office, this one from Twitter of @natiqmalikzada pic.twitter.com/kscQNBkAiJ

— M Reyaz, PhD || محمد ریاض (@journalistreyaz) August 15, 2021

Abdul Qayum Zakir, the Taliban deputy head of the military operation – Ex Gitmo prisoner – was the first Taliban leader to enter the ARG.

2/3

— M Reyaz, PhD || محمد ریاض (@journalistreyaz) August 15, 2021

If that identification is correct, if that’s the guy, he was transferred to Afghanistan under George W. Bush and then released there by the Afghans — apparently without the consent of the U.S.

Earlier, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani relinquished power to an interim government led by Taliban commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

But now, the people are fleeing in desperation at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport, as you can hear gunshots in the background.

NOW – Chaos at #Kabul airport: Hundreds want to leave Afghanistan and are panicking. Gunshots can be heard.pic.twitter.com/JW1jHRgcIq

— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) August 15, 2021

BREAKING: US official tells @VOANews Hamid Karzai Int'l Airport in #Kabul still taking fire, under threat

US troops "trying to take care of it"#Afghanistan https://t.co/b3CuKpjLVA

— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) August 15, 2021

US official also confirms #Taliban did seize Parwan prison near #Bagram air base, freeing thousands of Taliban, #ISIS prisoners

— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) August 15, 2021

This is madness:

WATCH: Video shows crowded #Kabul International Airport as #Taliban takes over Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/AJljDhjqB5

— The Washington Voice (@WashingtonVoice) August 15, 2021