World / Uzbekistan says it 'forced' the landing of 46 Afghan aircraft carrying 585 troops

Tashkent: Uzbekistan on Monday said that it "forced landing" of 46 Afghan aircraft crossing into its airspace as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.

Citing a statement that was issued late Monday, Daily Sabah reported that according to officials, hundreds of Afghan soldiers fled to Uzbekistan with 22 military planes and 24 helicopters last weekend, including one aircraft that collided with an escorting Uzbek fighter jet, causing both to crash.

The Uzbek Ministry of Defense earlier also said an Afghan military jet had been shot down after crossing the border.

A total of 585 Afghan soldiers arrived on aircraft and 158 more crossed the border on foot on Sunday, the Uzbek prosecutor general's office said in a statement cited by the Turkish media outlet.

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday said: "The Taliban have won with the judgment of their swords and guns, and are now responsible for the honour, property and self-preservation of their countrymen," after leaving the country as Taliban entered the capital, saying he wanted to avoid "bloodshed".

Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and took control of the presidential palace. Taliban leaders have been discussing future government plans in Doha after gaining control of Kabul, as per a media report.

Panic has gripped the Afghan capital as people fear a return to the Taliban's brutal rule and the threat of reprisal killings. Thousands of Afghans flooded the tarmac on Monday morning, at one point swarming around a departing US military plane as it taxied down the runway.