A Taliban fighter guards the entrance of the police headquarters in Ghazni, Afghan on Thursday, as the Taliban move closer to Kabul, the Afghan capital, after taking Ghazni (See story on Page 15). Photo: AFP

The Taliban were in control of Afghanistan on Monday after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and conceded the insurgents had won the 20-year war.

The astonishingly quick collapse of the government, with militants taking over the presidential palace on Sunday night, triggered panic in the capital.

Thousands of people were on Monday trying to escape Kabul and the feared hard-line brand of Islamic rule of the Taliban, with scenes of chaos as crowds gathered at the airport.

Ghani fled on Sunday as the insurgents encircled Kabul, with the Taliban sealing a nationwide military victory that saw all cities fall to them in just 10 days.

"The Taliban have won with the judgement of their swords and guns, and are now responsible for the honor, property and self-preservation of their countrymen," Ghani said in a statement posted to Facebook, his first since fleeing.

In a video posted to social media, Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar also announced his movement's victory. "Now it's time to test and prove, now we have to show that we can serve our nation and ensure security and comfort of life." 

Government forces collapsed without the support of the US military, which invaded in 2001 after the September 11 attacks and toppled the Taliban for its support of Al Qaeda.

The US ultimately failed to build a democratic government capable of withstanding the Taliban, despite spending billions of dollars and providing two decades of military support.

US President Joe Biden was determined to withdraw all American troops by the end of August, insisting that there was no choice and he would not "pass this war" onto another president.

But the US was left shocked by the rapid collapse of the Afghan government.

Despite insisting there would be no Saigon-style panicked evacuations from Kabul, American officials, their Afghan allies and other residents fearful of the Taliban were all trying to flee on Monday.

The US had sent 6,000 troops to the airport to fly out embassy personnel as well as Afghans who assisted the US as interpreters or in other support roles. However, the US government conceded it was not in control at the airport.

"We are completing a series of steps to secure the Hamid Karzai International Airport to enable the safe departure of US and allied personnel," the Pentagon and State Department said in a joint statement.

AFP