'Don't be afraid of us': Taliban take over Kabul as President Ghani leaves Afghan

As Afghanistan’s President, Ashraf Ghani, left the country, Taliban members were ordered to enter and take over the capital city Kabul.

A little after Ghani left the country, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan issued a formal statement that clarified that the Taliban troops have been ordered to enter Kabul and take hold of all checkpoints abandoned by the Afghan forces.

LIVE: President Ghani leaves Afghanistan as Taliban enter capital Kabul

However, the Taliban claim they have issued the order solely to protect the city from looting and chaos, and the locals should not be afraid of them.

The spokesperson has also urged locals to stay back in the country rather than fleeing as they plan to utilise the talents of the country. "No one should leave the country...we need all the talents and capacity, we need all of us to stay in the country and participate," the spokesperson said.

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While the social media went abuzz with images that showed Taliban members painting over advertisements that featured women, the Taliban claimed that women will be given more freedom this time.

"We will respect rights of women...our policy is that women will have access to education and work, to wear the hijab," Taliban Spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on a live BBC report. 

The Taliban have also claimed that they have no intention of "taking revenge" from the Afghan forces and the pro-government soldiers and officials should join hands with the Taliban for the 'betterment of the nation'.