Taliban say they dont plan to take Kabul by force after entering Afghan capital

Taliban militants have entered the Afghan capital Kabul and say they "awaiting a peaceful transfer" of power.

A government official earlier said that Taliban fighters were heading to the presidential palace to prepare for a "transfer" of power.

According to a Taliban spokesman, the militant group is in talks with the Afghan government for a "peaceful surrender" of Kabul, while the country's interior minister has been quoted as saying the government will hand over control of the city without a fight.

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Sky correspondent sees Taliban procession in Kabul

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Taliban takes control of Jalalabad

An Afghan delegation is reported to be travelling to Qatar today to meet representatives of the Taliban.

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told the Al-Jazeera English news channel that the group wanted the unconditional surrender of the central government.

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The government is believed to be seeking an interim administration, but it is unclear how likely this is.

A Taliban leader based in Doha, Qatar, is reported to have told the group's fighters to refrain from violence in the capital, but sporadic gunfire has been heard.

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"No one's life, property and dignity will be harmed and the lives of the citizens of Kabul will not be at risk," the Taliban said.

Taliban fighters have been asked to stand at entry points to the capital, the leader in Doha added, while calling on Afghan forces to cease gunfire and allow safe passage to civilians and foreign nationals.

The leader said Taliban fighters should allow safe passage to anyone who wants to leave the city and is requesting women head to protected areas.

Meanwhile, a Taliban official has told Reuters: "We don't want a single, innocent Afghan civilian to be injured or killed as we take charge. But we have not declared a ceasefire."

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is holding emergency talks with US diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad and top NATO officials, a presidential palace official has said.

It comes after the Taliban seized the city of Jalalabad, a capture that means the hardline Islamist group has now secured the roads that connect the country to Pakistan.

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Smoke rises over the city of Kabul in Afghanistan as the US embassy destroyed sensitive documents.

"Allowing passage to the Taliban was the only way to save civilian lives," an Afghan official told Reuters.

The Taliban has made rapid gains over the past week, with Western countries urgently deploying troops to assist with the evacuation of diplomatic staff.

Late last night, the Taliban said that its rapid gains show that it has been popularly accepted - and attempted to reassure Afghans and foreigners, including diplomats and aid workers, that they would be safe.

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Afghan special forces regroup in Kabul

"The Islamic Emirate will, as always, protest their life, property and honour and create a peaceful and secure environment for its beloved nation," it said.

US President Joe Biden announced he was sending 5,000 more troops to Kabul to help remove personnel - and the evacuation of the American embassy has now begun.

US diplomats have been urgently destroying sensitive documents and helicopters have been seen landing on the US embassy.

Analysis by Deborah Haynes, foreign affairs editor

President Joe Biden has set a red line for the Taliban: If you attack US personnel or the US mission in Afghanistan there will be a "swift and strong US military response".

The big question, though, is whether the militants will heed this warning as they close in on Kabul after a lightning-fast seizure of most of the north, south, west and east of the country over the past week?

They have the momentum and overall victory within reach even as Afghanistan's embattled President, Ashraf Ghani, clings to power and readies his forces to defend the capital.

The United States and the United Kingdom clearly realise - in contrast to previous, more hopeful predictions - the fall of Kabul into the hands of the Taliban is inevitable.

Both countries are rushing in troops to evacuate diplomatic staff. The choice of highly-trained combat forces â€" marines and paratroopers - underlining the threat and the need to deploy service personnel with the ability to fight should the order come.

But the temporary rise in troop-numbers creates a bigger target and a greater potential for a direct confrontation with the Taliban should the militants decide to keep pushing forward before the international presence withdraws by the end of the month - the deadline set by President Biden.

The targeting by the Taliban of any US, British or other allied mission looks set to trigger a military response.

The US leader will have to hope he has sent in sufficient firepower to be sure at least of being able to defeat that kind of direct Taliban assault.

The Biden administration has warned Taliban officials any actions that put American personnel at risk "will be met with a swift and strong US military response".

A US official told Reuters on Sunday that the US military was unlikely to change its strategy in Kabul unless the Taliban impact the evacuation of its embassy there.

Mr Biden has defended his decision to withdraw US troops from the country in the coming weeks, and said the task of fighting back against Taliban insurgents must fall to Afghan forces.

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Young woman defiant as Taliban nears

He warned that an indefinite American military presence in Afghanistan is not an option, and has vowed not to pass on the war to a fifth US president.

"One more year, or five more years, of US military presence would not have made a difference if the Afghan military cannot or will not hold its own country. And an endless American presence in the middle of another country's civil conflict was not acceptable to me," Mr Biden said.

The president's handling of the crisis has attracted criticism from some American politicians, with his predecessor Donald Trump claiming that Mr Biden "gets it wrong every time on foreign policy".

In a strongly worded statement, Mr Trump said: "After I took out ISIS, I established a credible deterrent. That deterrent is now gone. The Taliban no longer has fear or respect for America, or America's power.

"What a disgrace it will be when the Taliban raises their flag over America's embassy in Kabul. This is complete failure through weakness, incompetence, and total strategic incoherence."

The UK is also currently evacuating British nationals and local translators - and this weekend, 600 troops are being sent to assist with this effort.

Image: Joe Biden is temporarily sending 5,000 troops to Afghanistan to assist with the evacuation of personnel

The Home Office said it is working to "protect British nationals and help former UK staff and other eligible people travel to the UK".

According to The Sunday Telegraph, Britain's ambassador to Afghanistan Sir Laurie Bristow is going to be flown out of the country by tonight.

Ben Wallace, the UK's defence secretary, has warned it is "arrogant" to think the UK could unilaterally prevent Afghanistan falling back into the grip of the Taliban.

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Taliban fighters in Herat after capturing city

Afghanistan's president, Ashraf Ghani, gave a televised speech yesterday in which he vowed not to give up on the "achievements" of the last 20 years, when US soldiers first toppled the Taliban.

Peace talks between the Taliban and the US have continued in Doha, Qatar, with warnings that a regime installed by force will not be recognised - all the while militants continue to seize control of Afghanistan.

Hundreds of people have been sleeping in tents or in the open air in Kabul, with one resident saying: "You can see the fear in their faces."

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