Kabul

Witnesses reported seeing the bloodied bodies lying on the ground just outside the terminal building, according to the report. Officials at the US Central Command weren't immediately available for comment. The US military has taken over security of the Kabul airport to execute the massive airlift of foreign diplomats and citizens after the Afghan government collapsed on Sunday.

President Ashraf Ghani left the country earlier on Sunday - but the exact situation at the palace is still unclear. According to local journalist Bilal Sarwary who spoke to two Afghans involved in direct negotiations, part of the agreement was that Ghani would join the transition of power ceremony inside the palace - but instead he and his senior aides left the country.

The AI 244 took off at 6.06 p.m. on Sunday from the Kabul airport. The passengers also include diplomats and security officials posted in the Indian embassy of Kabul. "We are monitoring the situation and as of now continuing with our scheduled flights to Kabul," an Air India spokesperson told IANS. Besides, the official said that the next flight for Kabul is scheduled to take off at 8.50 a.m. on Monday.

Long queues of cars have formed as people try to find a way out of the city. Banks have also been busy as residents try to withdraw their savings, BBC reported. Afghan MP Farzana Kochai describeD the scene: "I'm in my house and looking at the people who are just trying to run." This leaves Kabul International Airport as the only way out of the country.

"They literally sold us out, there was no government resistance," one female resident of Kandahar told Al Jazeera. "I never imagined that Kandahar would be taken so easily," she said echoing a sentiment made by Afghans across the country when the Taliban was blazing through the districts since it stepped up an offensive in May after the United States began the final withdrawal of its forces from the country.

VOA reported there is panic on the streets of Kabul as the news broke that the Taliban had entered the city. They are only on the outskirts, but government offices started getting evacuated. A VOA Afghan service reporter was in the passport office when everyone was told to leave immediately and go home.Traffic on the streets of Kabul became crazy as people scrambled to get home or to their families.

In a statement, the insurgent group acknowledged that the fighters have no intention to enter the Afghan capital Kabul and will enter the city peacefully. The statement reads that Kabul is the most populated city of Afghanistan and the fighters are not allowed to enter the city and are directed to stay out of Kabul's doors. The statement was published hours after fear and panic spread in the city and people are roaming on the streets.

The notice about "Emergency Destruction Services" underscores the dire situation on the ground in Afghanistan as cities continue to fall to the Taliban, a CNN news report said. The report said that one intelligence assessment indicated that Kabul could be isolated by the Taliban within the week, possibly in the next 72 hours, but stressed that does not mean the militant group would enter the capital.

The TOLO News report cited the official as saying that the troops' arrival will continue till Sunday. On Thursday, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price had announced that the country will deploy thousands of troops to the Kabul airport to support the American Embassy staff drawdown as the security situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate.

All key government institutions were captured by the group. All government officials, including Herat Governor, police chief, head of the NDS office in Herat, former mujahedeen leader Mohammad Ismail Khan, the Deputy Minister of Interior for Security, and the 207 Zafar Corps commander surrendered to the Taliban after the province fell to the group, media reports said.