Taliban enter Kabul as President Ghani leaves Afghanistan

Taliban fighters have entered the Afghan capital, Kabul, meeting almost no resistance. President Ashraf Ghani has left the country, saying he did so to avoid bloodshed.

Representatives of the movement said they had taken control of the presidential palace. In just ten days the Taliban seized most of the country's provincial capitals.

Thousands of people trying to leave the country have crowded Kabul's international airport. The United States and other states are speeding up the evacuation of diplomats and citizens.

The withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan is due to be completed by 31 August, almost 20 years after the operation began.