Photos: Taliban control of Afghanistan; evacuees look to escape

Image 0 of 27

Afghanistan takeover A Taliban fighter stands guard over surrendered Afghan security member forces in the city of Ghazni, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. The Taliban have completed their sweep of the country’s south on Friday, as they took four more provincial capitals in a lightning offensive that is gradually encircling Kabul, just weeks before the U.S. is set to officially end its two-decade war. (AP Photo/Gulabuddin Amiri) (Gulabuddin Amiri/AP)

Afghanistan takeover Taliban fighters stand guard in front of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. Thousands of people packed into the Afghan capital's airport on Monday, rushing the tarmac and pushing onto planes in desperate attempts to flee the country after the Taliban overthrew the Western-backed government. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) (Rahmat Gul/AP)

Afghanistan takeover Taliban fighters display their flag on patrol in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. The Taliban celebrated Afghanistan's Independence Day on Thursday by declaring they beat the United States, but challenges to their rule ranging from running a country severely short on cash and bureaucrats to potentially facing an armed opposition began to emerge. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) (Rahmat Gul/AP)

Afghanistan takeover A porter pushes a wheelbarrow carrying an elderly Afghan woman with her family as they enter into Pakistan from Afghanistan at a border crossing, in Chaman, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. Chaman, is a key border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, normally thousands of Afghans and Pakistanis cross daily and a steady stream of trucks passes through, taking goods to Afghanistan. (AP Photo) (AP)

Afghanistan takeover U.S soldiers stand guard along a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. On Monday, the U.S. military and officials focus was on Kabul’s airport, where thousands of Afghans trapped by the sudden Taliban takeover rushed the tarmac and clung to U.S. military planes deployed to fly out staffers of the U.S. Embassy, which shut down Sunday, and others. (AP Photo/Shekib Rahmani) (Shekib Rahmani/AP)

Afghanistan takeover Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint that was previously manned by American troops near the US embassy, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. The Taliban declared an "amnesty" across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee the country. (AP Photo) (STR/AP)

Afghanistan takeover Leaders of the Pakistani religious group Jamiat Ulema-e Islam Nazryate party distribute sweets among people to celebrate the Taliban's capturing some of the largest cities in Afghanistan, in Quetta, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. Afghanistan's rapidly-advancing Taliban insurgents entered a western provincial capital, an official said Friday, hours after they captured the country's second and third largest cities in a lightning advance just weeks before America is set to end its longest war. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt) (Arshad Butt/AP)

Afghanistan takeover Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. The Taliban declared an "amnesty" across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee the country. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) (Rahmat Gul /AP)

Afghanistan takeover Hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. The Taliban declared an “amnesty” across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee the country. (AP Photo) (STR/AP)

Afghanistan takeover Hundreds of people gather near a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane at a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. On Monday, the U.S. military and officials focus was on Kabul’s airport, where thousands of Afghans trapped by the sudden Taliban takeover rushed the tarmac and clung to U.S. military planes deployed to fly out staffers of the U.S. Embassy, which shut down Sunday, and others. (AP Photo/Shekib Rahmani) (Shekib Rahmani/AP)

Afghanistan takeover Taliban fighters patrol in Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. The Taliban declared an "amnesty" across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee the country. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) (Rahmat Gul/AP)

Afghanistan takeover A grave marker for seven soldiers is seen in Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. Section 60 is where the men and women who died in America's most recent wars, especially Iraq and Afghanistan, are buried. These seven soldiers were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Staff Sgt. Luis M. Gonzalez, 27, of South Ozone Park, N.Y., Sgt. Fernando De La Rosa, 24, of Alamo, Texas, Sgt. Dale R. Griffin, 29, of Terre Haute, Ind., Sgt. Issac B. Jackson, 27, of Plattsburg, Mo., Sgt. Patrick O. Williamson, 24, of Broussard, La., Spc. Jared D. Stanker, 22, of Evergreen Park, Ill., and Pfc. Christopher I. Walz, 25, of Vancouver, Wash. They died Oct. 27, 2009 in Arghandab Valley, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

August 20, 2021 at 3:25 pm EDT

Latest Photo Galleries

PHOTOS: New water park to open in Metro Atlanta

PHOTOS: New water park to open in Metro Atlanta

April 01, 2026 at 12:17 pm EDT

REMEMBER THIS? $40 million Dean Gardens, Michael Jackson nearly bought, Tyler Perry did

REMEMBER THIS? $40 million Dean Gardens, Michael Jackson nearly bought, Tyler Perry did

April 01, 2026 at 8:28 am EDT

PHOTOS: Shop of north Georgia paramedic, coroner destroyed in blaze

PHOTOS: Shop of north Georgia paramedic, coroner destroyed in blaze

March 31, 2026 at 11:07 am EDT

PHOTOS: See founding documents for America's 250th birthday at Atlanta History Center

PHOTOS: See founding documents for America's 250th birthday at Atlanta History Center

March 27, 2026 at 8:37 am EDT

PHOTOS: Braves unveil new food items, seating options at Truist Park

PHOTOS: Braves unveil new food items, seating options at Truist Park

March 25, 2026 at 5:56 am EDT

PHOTOS: Historic Rome courthouse burns

PHOTOS: Historic Rome courthouse burns

March 23, 2026 at 3:21 pm EDT

PHOTOS: Lines stretch out the door at Atlanta's airport; 9 hour waits reported

PHOTOS: Lines stretch out the door at Atlanta's airport; 9 hour waits reported

March 23, 2026 at 11:51 am EDT

Chattahoochee Nature Center celebrates 50th anniversary

Chattahoochee Nature Center celebrates 50th anniversary

March 23, 2026 at 9:28 am EDT

Photos: NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament – First Round – Tampa

Photos: NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament – First Round – Tampa

March 23, 2026 at 12:00 am EDT

TSA security line nightmare at Hartsfield-Jackson

TSA security line nightmare at Hartsfield-Jackson

March 22, 2026 at 3:48 pm EDT