Hasty troop withdrawal sets off reaction in war-torn country

The Taliban secured their return to power in Afghanistan when the militants entered Kabul on Sunday. The group's rapid advance from countryside strongholds followed an announcement in May that troops from the US and other NATO powers would begin pulling out. These are the key events during the Taliban's escalated campaign in the wake of the US' irresponsible troop withdrawal:

Aug 15:

・ Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani leaves the country, Afghan National Reconciliation Council chief Abdullah Abdullah says on Sunday night.

Aug 13:

・ By this date, the Taliban have reportedly taken 18 of the country's 34 provincial capitals.

Aug 12:

・ The White House announces that the US is withdrawing personnel from its embassy in Kabul amid the deteriorating security, and will deploy 3,000 troops to Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport to facilitate the drawdown.

Aug 10:

・ US President Joe Biden says Afghan troops must fight for themselves, in comments following the fall of many cities to the Taliban. The US will continue to provide Afghan forces with close air support, food, equipment and salaries, he says.

Aug 6:

・ Taliban militants capture the city of Zaranj, the capital of Nimroz Province in the west, a Taliban spokesman says. It becomes the first Afghan city seized by the Taliban since the US withdrawal from the country began on May 1.

・ Afghanistan is at a historic conjuncture of war and peace, Dai Bing, charge d'affaires of China's permanent mission to the United Nations, tells the Security Council. The international community should work, following the principle of Afghan leadership and Afghan ownership, to strengthen coordination and contribute positive energy to the Afghan peace and reconciliation process, he says.

Aug 5:

・ The European Union condemns a significant escalation in violence across Afghanistan, and calls for "an urgent, comprehensive and permanent cease-fire".

Aug 2:

・ Ghani blames the withdrawal of US troops for the worsening situation, and reveals a six-month security plan to stabilize the conflict-battered country.

July 8:

・ Talks between high-ranking delegates of the Afghan government and the Taliban conclude in Iran's capital Teheran.

・ Biden says the US military mission in Afghanistan will conclude on Aug 31.

July 6:

・ The US Central Command says the US military has completed over 90 percent of the troop withdrawal.

July 2:

・ An Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman confirms that US and NATO forces have evacuated the Bagram Airfield near Kabul.

May 1:

・ US and NATO troops begin to pull out from Afghanistan.

Xinhua