Kabul's former 'Green Zone' abandoned as diplomats flee Afghan capital

Taliban fighters ride on a police vehicle in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 16, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

KABUL (Reuters) -Kabul's former diplomatic quarter fell silent on Monday as foreign missions were moved to the airport, leaving Taliban patrols in control of the fortified zone of concrete blast walls and checkpoints known as the Green Zone.

With police and security contractors who once guarded the embassies in the Wazir Akbar Khan district now gone, some motorists were forced to get out of their cars and lift security barriers themselves before driving through.