– I’m deeply sorry – VG

– The situation is extremely serious and unpredictable.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said this at a press conference on Tuesday about the situation in Afghanistan after a meeting between NATO countries on the same day.

On Sunday, the Islamist militant rebel group Taliban took power in Kabul – the last major city in the country to fall under their control. On the same day, President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, and just hours later, photos and videos showed Taliban leaders occupying the presidential palace.

– Kabul has fallen and the Taliban has taken control of most of the country. I am deeply sorry for what I see unfolding in Afghanistan, Stoltenberg continued.

The NATO chief further said that NATO has worked around the clock to maintain the offer at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, and that their focus now is to ensure a safe departure for their personnel, their allies and the Afghans who have helped them.

According to Stoltenberg, around 800 NATO civilian personnel have been left in the country to facilitate key functions at the airport, including airspace control, refueling and communications. This has been done under “very challenging circumstances”.

Also read: Researchers: NATO and US must take responsibility for Afghanistan exit

_- Collapse at a speed we had not anticipated

During Tuesday’s press conference, the NATO chief also announced the decision to leave the country.

– We were faced with a serious dilemma: Either to leave and risk the Taliban regaining control, or to stay and risk new attacks and a combat mission with an open end.

– We had never planned to be there forever, he continued.

The hundreds of thousands of forces that have previously been deployed in the country are now down to zero, Stoltenberg said.

– What we have seen in recent weeks was a military and political collapse at a speed we had not anticipated, the NATO chief stated.

He nevertheless praised parts of the Afghan security forces who “fought bravely, but they were unable to secure the country.”

– The political leadership was unable to oppose the Taliban and ensure the peaceful solution the Afghan people wanted. This failure in leadership led to the tragedy we are now witnessing.

–