Hujjatullah Zia is an Afghani journalist who lives in Kabul, and got to bear witness to the fall of the capital city to the Taliban on Sunday.
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He spoke with Israel Hayom amid the Taliban's takeover of the capital on Sunday and provided a glimpse of the chaos.
The stunning pace at which the radical group recaptured the country after 20 years of fighting with the US-led international coalition and the Afghan government caught many off guard, including the residents themselves.
The journalist, who is a senior writer at The Daily Outlook Afghanistan, also spoke with us on Monday, a day after the takeover was complete.
He said that even as the chaos continued in the airport, the city itself was trying to adjust and that calm has been somewhat restored.
Video: Hujjatullah Zia
"Life is getting normal and it is a bit busier today in Kabul," he told Israel Hayom. "Schools, universities and government administrations are all off," he noted. His publication has also stopped its reporting because it no longer has a readership.
"The foreign embassies are our readers, they are closed," he explained.
On Sunday he said that the day began rather calmly, but soon things turned ugly.
"The stores and shops were closed, it was not a busy day for the people. You know, the people were afraid, because the Taliban entered the city," he said as the capital was falling. "About 30 minutes ago, I went to the police station and met a few Taliban fighters and they were stationed at police checkpoints and police stations."
Q: So after you met them what happened?
"A number of young people started taking selfies with the Taliban. It was a bit surprising. You know, the Taliban entered Kabul without violence or fighting, there was no fighting with the army. They said they would not enter the city so that they can negotiate with the government but they were already here informally."
Q: You began your day in the city center and then you discovered that they had entered the city?
"The people were afraid in the beginning. A lot of people decided not to go out of their homes. Because they were afraid of the Taliban. The public here, especially women, are afraid of the Taliban."
Q: When the Taliban entered the city, did women also take selfies with them?
"No, women could be hardly seen in the in streets. Only a small number of women were walking, in the areas where the Taliban are not seen. In the city's downtown, there were only a small number of women. They did not go near the Taliban. My sister went to the bazaar [local market] but quickly ended her shopping and rushed back home; she came back scared, telling me that the Taliban had entered and people were afraid, with everyone hurrying to get back home. She also wanted to go the doctor, but she didn't have time, she just rushed back from the bazaar and she told me that people were running back home."
Q: Is she safe now? Is she worried that something could happen to her?
"She is very worried. I told her that the Taliban said they would not hurt her."
Q: So what is your daily life going to be like now?
"Everyone is worried about their jobs, and there is confusion. They are not sure if they can keep their job. So we just hope that we can continue our job. I am not so sure how, because journalists are more vulnerable, and I am not sure they won't impose restrictions on us and on the freedom of the press."
Q: What part of the city are you in?
"I am in District 13. About 1 hour from the airport."
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