No country should 'bilaterally recognise' Taliban as Afghanistan's government: UK PM

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday that no one should “bilaterally” recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan, as the Sunni Pashtun group took over country capital Kabul.

Speaking at an interview, Johnson called for a united stand to prevent Afghanistan from lapsing back into a “breeding ground for terror.” With the security crisis escalating in the southcentral Asian country, Johnson assured that a British diplomat in Kabul was “working round the clock” and has been present at the airport to process applications of citizens leaving the war-torn country.

"We don't want anybody bilaterally recognizing the Taliban," Johnson said in an interview clip, urging the West to work together on Afghanistan through mechanisms such as the United Nations and NATO. "We want a united position amongst all the like-minded as far as we can get one so that we do whatever we can to prevent Afghanistan lapsing back into being a breeding ground for terror."

Citizens rush to flee Afghanistan amid rising uncertainty

Different countries, including the US, India and France have asked their diplomats and citizens to leave the country. The latest visuals also show French diplomats fleeing the country on a helicopter. Around 126 Indian passengers were evacuated from Afghanistan on the last  Air India flight AI-243 that had arrived at New Delhi late on Sunday evening. The flight from Kabul to Delhi was the last Air India flight to take off from Afghanistan before the Afghan government's surrender.

A situation of mass exodus was observed on the streets of Kabul, where a massive traffic jam was seen as people took to the streets to escape the region. With the Taliban gaining control in the country, local Afghans are scared of what may happen next as uncertainty looms on their heads.  

Afghan govt surrenders ahead of Taliban

The Afghan government surrendered to the Taliban on Sunday as the latter paced to gain control of Kabul. The latest reports suggest that the incumbent President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country and has flown to Tajikistan along with other top officials. Ghani has entrusted his powers to the leadership council to negotiate with the Taliban.

(Image: AP)