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Afghanistan: In pictures: Kabul - a day after Taliban takeover

The Taliban are establishing themselves after sweeping into Kabul unopposed on Sunday.

EPA Taliban fighters are seen on the back of a vehicle in Kabul, Afghanistan, on 16 AugustEPA

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country, reportedly to Uzbekistan.

Here are pictures from the capital on Monday.

EPA A Taliban fighter poses for a photograph in Kabul, Afghanistan, 16 August 2021EPA

Life appears to be normal in the city centre, says the BBC's Malik Mudassir.

There is a lot less traffic, most of the shops are closed. But people look much calmer.

EPA Members of the Taliban stand in a checkpoint in Kabul, Afghanistan, 16 August 2021EPA

At the international airport, though, scenes were catastrophic, said our correspondent.

Getty Images Thousands of Afghans rush to the Hamid Karzai International Airport as they try to flee the Afghan capital of Kabul, Afghanistan, on 16 August 2021Getty Images
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EPA People struggle to cross the boundary wall of Hamid Karzai International Airport to flee Afghanistan on 16 August 2021EPA
BBC People climbing on to plane at Kabul airportBBC
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AFP Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport on 16 August 2021AFP

There are currently 2,500 American troops at the airport, with an additional 500 arriving in the coming hours, said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.

US troops - seen below - are still "working to re-establish security", the spokesman said, as the Pentagon announced a pause in flights.

AFP A US soldier points his gun towards an Afghan passenger at the Kabul airport in Kabul on 16 August 2021AFP

Footage shared on social media appears to show Afghan civilians clinging to the side of a US military aircraft as it prepares to take off.

Unknown People trying to board USAF aeroplane at Kabul airportUnknown

Amnesty International has called on the international community to act "decisively to avert further tragedy".

"What we are witnessing in Afghanistan is a tragedy that should have been foreseen and averted," said the organisation's secretary general, Agnes Callamard.

AFP Afghan people sit on the tarmac as they wait to leave the Kabul airport in Kabul on 16 August 2021AFP

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