Taliban sets checkpoints on Kabul streets

The checkpoints seen were set up on congested roads near the presidential palace and Hamid Karzai International Airport, as thousands of civilians attempted to flee the besieged capital.

The Taliban have taken control of Afghanistan in days rather than the months predicted by U.S. intelligence, in many cases after demoralized government forces surrendered despite years of training and equipping by the United States and others.

President Ashraf Ghani fled on Sunday (August 15) as the Islamist militants entered Kabul virtually unopposed, saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed.