On a lighter note. . .
The Lebanon-based new service Mulhak shared this video of Taliban soldiers using gym equipment in the vacated presidential palace in Kabul.
Translation: “elements”#طالبان They practice sports in Jim Hall at the Presidential Palace in #كابل“:
عناصر "#طالبان" يمارسون الرياضة في قاعة جيم بالقصر الرئاسي في #كابل pic.twitter.com/A2ZraOqHtm
— Mulhak ملحق 🇱🇧 (@Mulhak) August 16, 2021
And here’s a photo that’s going viral from Afghanistan-based TOLOnews reporter Abdulhaq Omeri of the Taliban discovering soft-serve ice cream:
#Taliban eat ice-cream #Kabul #Afghanistan . pic.twitter.com/du5g9QRZIx
— Abdulhaq Omeri (@AbdulhaqOmeri) August 17, 2021
Now, we have no idea if this is actually of Taliban soldiers or not, but, shout-out to the guy covering his comrades with an RPG:
Taliban soldiers detaining people in the streets of Kabul. It gets worse by the hour. pic.twitter.com/NdROrkhWYk
— Roh Yakobi (@Roh_Yakobi) August 17, 2021
But, alas, here’s what’s also going on on the ground:
DEVELOPING: Reports emerge of Taliban fighters beating women and children at a checkpoint in Kabul.
Taliban officials deny their fighters have been involved in this sort of violence, blaming the injuries on men impersonating the Taliban. https://t.co/cbc0tgbI8V
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 18, 2021
And this:
Taliban are all around the Kabul airport. Interpreter with a visa told me he can't get to the terminal. pic.twitter.com/uN4EkBd25n
— Ben Packham (@bennpackham) August 18, 2021
And this:
Shots ring out behind @clarissaward – as she stands less than 200 yards from the entrance of the Kabul airport.
"It's definitely chaotic, she says. "It's definitely dangerous." pic.twitter.com/3iNgULO0fO
— Brianna Keilar (@brikeilarcnn) August 18, 2021
Buckle up, everyone.
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