Taliban Spokesman: The War Is Over in Afghanistan

The spokesman for the Taliban's political office told Al-Jazeera TV on Sunday that the war is over in Afghanistan and that the type of rule and the form of regime will be clear soon.

"We assure everyone that we will provide safety for citizens and diplomatic missions. We are ready to have a dialog with all Afghan figures and will guarantee them the necessary protection," spokesman Mohammad Naeem told the Qatar-based channel.

Earlier Al-Jazeera aired footage of a large group of Taliban fighters inside the presidential palace in the capital of Afghanistan.

The Taliban are expected to announce their takeover from the palace, renaming the country as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The militants have taken over most of Afghanistan in a matter of days as the U.S. scrambles to withdraw after 20 years of war.

Afghanistan's Taliban entered the capital Kabul on Sunday and Western-backed President Ashraf Ghani left the country, with the insurgents saying they were seeking complete power.

Two officials from the militant Islamist group told Reuters there would be no transitional government following their lighting sweep across Afghanistan that led back to the capital two decades after the Taliban was overthrown by U.S.-led forces.

Taliban fighters entered the presidential palace and took control of it, two senior Taliban commanders in Kabul said. The Afghan government did not confirm this.

American diplomats were evacuated from their embassy by helicopter to the airport as local Afghan forces, trained for years and equipped by the United States and others for billions of dollars, melted away.

Ghani's destination was uncertain: a senior Interior Ministry official said he had left for Tajikistan, while a Foreign Ministry official said his location was unknown and the Taliban said it was checking his whereabouts.