Emergency UN Security Council meeting called on Afghanistan, says Russian official

On Sunday, Russia said that an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting is called on Afghanistan. This development comes when reports suggest that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has resigned as the Taliban has entered the capital city Kabul. Russia is working with other nations to hold a United Nations Security Council meeting on the war-stricken country, foreign ministry official Zamir Kabulov told Russian news agencies. As per agency sources, the Russian envoy to Afghanistan also said that the country would not evacuate its embassy staff in Kabul. 

President Ashraf Ghani steps down post talks

As per reports, President Ashraf Ghani has handed over power, and a transitional government has been formed after talks between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban negotiators at the Presidential palace. The new government will be led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Afghan interior minister Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal had earlier said that there would be a "peaceful transfer of power."

In a recorded speech, he said that the Afghan people should not worry and that there will be no attack on the city. "There will be a peaceful transfer of power to the transitional government," Mirzakwal added.

Who is Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar?

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, 53, also called Mullah Brother, is the co-founder of the Taliban. He was the deputy of Mullah Mohammed Omar, the founder of the Taliban. Baradar was captured in Pakistan in February 2010. However, he was released on October 24, 2018, at the request of the United States. Baradar was raised in Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban movement. 

Image Credit: PTI