Iran Ready to Accommodate Afghan Refugees

Iran is implementing a plan to accommodate Afghan refugees in three provinces of Razavi Khorassan, South Khorassan, and Sistan and Baluchestan, Director-General of Border Affairs of the Iranian Interior Ministry Hossein Qassemi said on Sunday.

Considering the recent developments in Afghanistan, Iran is expected to be encountered with a large number of Afghan refugees, he added.

Qasemi said that temporary accommodation has been prepared in the named three Iranian provinces, and assured the anti-coronavirus protocols are being observed among them.

The Taliban have begun entering Kabul, Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry confirmed on Sunday, as the group claimed it has instructed its forces not to cross the gates of the capital and take the strategic city by force.

Taliban fighters have been advancing on Kabul from all sides, the country’s interior ministry announced on Sunday, as the city remains the only major urban area still under the control of the government of President Ashraf Ghani.

Some Afghan officials have insisted there has so far been no fighting, but media reports claim sporadic gunshots have been heard in the capital. State TV reported that clashes between the Taliban and the security forces are underway to the North and South of Kabul, but hadn’t yet impacted the Central districts of the capital.

The Taliban said it had instructed its fighters to refrain from violence in the capital and allow safe passage to people who choose to leave the city.

The Taliban claimed in a statement the group has instructed their fighters to “stay at the gates of Kabul and not enter the city. Until the transition takes place, the Afghan government is responsible for the security of Kabul".

“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,” the statement read.

“Negotiations are underway to ensure that the transition process is completed safely and securely, without compromising the lives, property and honor of anyone, and without compromising the lives of Kabulis,” the group added.

The group has started talks with the Afghan government on the “peaceful surrender” of Kabul, a Taliban spokesman stated. The claim hasn’t yet been confirmed by the office of Afghan's president.

The group also released another statement trying to reassure banks, merchants and other entrepreneurs that their property, money and institutions will not be distrubed by the armed group. Despite it, people continue to leave the city streets and try to find ways to head home.

A spokesman for the Taliban said the group does not intend to take revenge on anyone, including those who have served in the country’s government or military. He added a call for Afghan civilians to “remain in their country, not leave due to fear”.

The Afghan government insists the situation in Kabul “remains under control”. However, the authorities have made such statements numerous times, but could do nothing to prevent a rapid offensive by the Taliban that saw the group seizing most of the country in recent weeks.