Just days ago, U.S. military analysis warned that, once American soldiers left Afghanistan, the Taliban could take Kabul within 90 days. But, in reality, it was much faster than that.

Over the weekend, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country as Taliban fighters were on the outskirts of the capital. And it didn’t take long for them to get into the presidential palace – without firing any shots.

To talk more about the situation there, we are joined by CGTN’s correspondent Sean Callebs. 

To discuss:

• Brian Becker is the Executive Director of the ANSWER Coalition.
• Omar Samad is a former Afghan Ambassador to Canada and France and a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.
• Mohammad Haqmal is the former Afghan Public Health Chief.
• Lynne O’Donnell is an author and journalist.

For more:

The Taliban have taken control of Afghanistan's capital city, Kabul, causing chaotic scenes to unfold at the city's international airport as scores of civilians try to flee the country. New satellite images show crowds of people on the tarmac https://t.co/N24xemtggD

📷: @Maxar pic.twitter.com/DBwoJw2Yw9

— CNN (@CNN) August 16, 2021

As the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, there was chaos on the streets of Kabul. We spoke to a 33-year-old woman — an outspoken critic of the Taliban who asked that we refer to her by the initial R for fear of retaliation — about her experiences. https://t.co/uCrYYoJeFz pic.twitter.com/fIqqZ7WteU

— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 16, 2021