Inside the Fall of Kabul

 

Instead, to the shock of the world, the Afghan capital fell in a matter of hours.

“Part 1: The Withdrawal. After dark on a mild July evening, I made my way through a heavily fortified neighborhood in downtown Kabul. Over the years, the capital’s elite had retreated deeper behind concrete walls topped with concertina wire; sometimes they even added a layer of Hesco barriers on the sidewalk, forcing me into the street as I passed. I buzzed at the home of a former government official, went inside and climbed the marble stairs to a rooftop party. I’d been to a few of his gatherings over the years, some of them raucous with laughter and dancing, but this was a quiet affair, with a small group of Afghan men and women, mostly young and stylishly dressed, sitting in a circle under the lamplight. The mood was grim. In recent weeks, large areas of the north, places that had not historically supported the Taliban, had suddenly fallen. ...”

NY Times

2021 August: Afghanistan Live Updates: Afghan President Said to Have Fled as Taliban Enter Kabul, 2021 August: How Will the Taliban Rule? Here’s the Early Evidence

 

Families, most likely relatives of Zero Unit fighters, making their way into the airport to be evacuated on Aug. 24.