Taliban declares war in Afghanistan is over

Kabul, Aug 16 (IANS) The Taliban has declared the war in Afghanistan over after its fighters swept the capital Kabul and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

The streets of Kabul were quiet on Monday, but there were scenes of chaos and panic at the international airport as hundreds of Afghans desperate to leave the country flooded the tarmac, Al Jazeera reported.

Mohammad Naeem, the spokesman for Taliban's political office in Doha, told Al Jazeera that the group did not want to live in isolation and said the type and form of the new government in Afghanistan would be made clear soon.

Naeem also called for peaceful international relations.

"Thanks to God, the war is over in the country. We have reached what we were seeking, which is the freedom of our country and the independence of our people," he added.

"We will not allow anyone to use our lands to target anyone, and we do not want to harm others."

The UN Security Council will discuss the situation in Afghanistan later on Monday.

The Al Jazeera report said the Taliban were in control of the capital's streets.

"The Taliban say they sent in 1,000 of their special forces units overnight. They are now in control of every checkpoint and have set up additional checkpoints. I saw dozens of Taliban fighters with guns over their shoulders in police vehicles, in Afghan government vehicles patrolling the streets", Al Jazeera reporters said.

"There's not that many people on the streets and it seems as if life can function as normal."

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the insurgent group, said "the situation in Kabul is normal" and that its fighters "are busy providing security".

In a Twitter post, Mujahid also said the Taliban has deployed special units to different parts of Kabul and that the "general public is happy with the arrival of the Mujahideen and satisfied with the security".