6:03 AM CST - United Nations urges restraint amid humanitarian crises

The UN Secretary General issued the following statement:

The Secretary-General is following with deep concern the rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan. He urges the Taliban and all other parties to exercise utmost restraint in order to protect lives and ensure that humanitarian needs can be addressed.  

Conflict is forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes. There continue to be reports of serious human rights abuses and violations in the communities most affected by the fighting. TheSecretary-General is particularly concerned about the future of women and girls, whose hard-won rights must be protected. All abuses must stop. He calls on the Taliban and all other parties to ensure that international humanitarian law and the rights and freedoms of all people are respected and protected. 

The need for assistance is surging while the operating environment becomes more restricted due to the escalation of the conflict. The Secretary-General calls on all parties to ensure that humanitarian actors have unimpeded access to deliver timely and life-saving services and assistance. 

The United Nations remains determined to contribute to a peaceful settlement, promote the human rights of all Afghans, notably women and girls, and provide life-saving humanitarian assistance and critical support to civilians in need. 

On Monday, the Secretary-General will address the Security Council's open meeting on Afghanistan.

5:42 AM CST - Qatar calls for a peaceful transition

Qatar urges for a permanent ceasefire and peaceful transfer of power in Afghanistan. The Taliban says it will ensure the safety of all diplomats and citizens and ready to deal with the concerns of international community through dialogue.

5:26 AM CST - U.S. President Joe Biden promises to address the nation

An official from U.S. President Joe Biden's administration says that Biden will speak to the nation regarding the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan ‘in the next few days,’

5:00 AM CST - Turkey and Pakistan vow to ensure stability

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey and Pakistan would work together to ensure stability in Afghanistan. Erdogan said his country faces a wave of Afghan migrants coming in through Iran and that cooperation with Pakistan is key in returning to stability.

4:42 PM CST - U.S. deploys troops for evacuation aid

The United States announced that it is sending 1,000 troops directly to Kabul, raising the U.S. deployment to roughly 6,000, for the purpose of securing Kabul's international airport

2:17 AM CST - Kabul airport closes

U.S. military officials reported that Kabul airport had closed to all commercial flights while military evacuations were underway. 

12:42 AM CST - Taliban announce their intentions to reclaim government

A Taliban official formally announced that the organization would soon formally declare the nation "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan", the title officially held by the country before the Taliban government was first overthrown in 2001, from the presidential palace in Kabul. The group also declared its intentions to "enable security" as Taliban members began entering multiple districts in the Afghan capital.

12:04 AM CST - U.S. evacuates acting U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan

The U.S. evacuated its acting ambassador to Afghanistan to Kabul airport and urged U.S. citizens in Kabul to take shelter as the Kabul airport reportedly began taking fire from Taliban members.

About an hour later, a minister from Germany announced that it would fly its embassy staff out of Kabul later that day.

11:45 PM CST - Taliban enters presidential palace

Reuters cited two Taliban senior commanders in reporting that the Taliban had entered the presidential palace in Kabul. Though Taliban leaders stated that they would not take the city by force and were awaiting a peaceful transfer of power, they also said that there would not be a transitional government and that the group expected a complete handover of power from the Afghan government.

10:42 PM CST - Afghan president agrees to resign, reportedly leaves the country

TOLO News reported that Afghan president Ashraf Ghani had left the country hours after the Taliban surrounded the capital city of Kabul. Reuters reported that Ghani "left for Tajikistan," citing a senior interior ministry official.

A representative of the Taliban said the group was checking on Ghani's whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Russian news agency RIA reported that Ghani had agreed to resign amid a peaceful transfer of power.