Afghanistan will have a "peaceful transfer of power" to a "transitional government" led by the Taliban, acting Afghan Interior Minister Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal said Sunday.
In a video message, broadcast on local news outlet Tolo TV, Mirzakwal said: "The Afghan people should not worry... There will be no attack on the city and there will be a peaceful transfer of power."
Around the same time on Sunday,
CNN reported that the Taliban issued a statement saying it was in talks with "the other side" for a peaceful surrender of the capital and confirmed that the group would refrain from violence.
"No one's head, property or honor will be harmed and the lives of Kabulis will not be in danger. The Islamic Emirate instructs all its forces to stand at the gates of Kabul and not try to enter the city," a spokesperson told
ABC News.
The Taliban's international media spokesperson, Suhail Shaheen, confirmed to
Al Jazeera that the group will remain on standby on the outskirts of the city while transition talks take place.
Shaheen did not specify what sort of agreement the Taliban wants, but the
Associated Press reported that the group is seeking an unconditional surrender by the central government.
Ashraf Ghani, the country's current president, is expected to relinquish power within the next few hours, according to
Al Arabiya.
A source close to the Ghani has denied reports that he has fled the country,
Al Jazeera said.
