By now almost at the gates of the capital, the Taliban had stated that it had no intention of hurting the city in a bloody battle. In the event, they didn’t have to. Total surrender came quickly. With barely a shot fired Afghan forces, demoralised and often leaderless, threw down their arms and let the encroaching rebels take possession of billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment, weapons and vehicles that had been provided to them by the US and its allies. Towns and cities were falling everywhere, and sometimes it took no more than just a simple phone call to force their surrender. We’re coming. Get out of our way.

In Kabul itself, police and army deserted their posts in panic, leaving the road to the capital wide open and defenceless. The chain of command was in total disarray, the city falling into anarchy as criminal gangs started looting, helping themselves not just to whatever goods they could pillage from stores but also to the well-stocked armouries of abandoned police stations. People were wild with fear, thousands making their last scramble to the airport. Jets and helicopters roared over the city. Despite the Taliban’s promise of a ceasefire to allow a peaceful evacuation, the rattle of automatic gunfire could now be heard around the outskirts. Motorcades forced their way through gridlocked traffic as those VIPs and officials who hadn’t already fled now made their hasty exit. One of those was the president himself, whose personal helicopters were on standby at the airport. Government staff quarrelled and even fought over who would be allowed to board the overcrowded aircraft, which being fully fuelled for the president’s escape had limited passenger capacity. Finally getting off the ground, the president’s chopper headed away across the mountains, flying low to avoid detection by US military aircraft, which still controlled Afghan airspace. His escape route took him first to neighbouring Uzbekistan and thence to Abu Dhabi.

The news that the president had run away was the last nail in the coffin for Kabul’s frightened citizens. All pretence at stability was now officially dissolved. The Green Zone lay deserted as the last pockets of police and soldiers took off their uniforms, laid down their weapons and simply walked away. Others chose to side with the heavily armed Taliban fighters who were beginning to appear in parts of Kabul, riding motorcycles or crammed into open pickup trucks. Islamist flags were being raised everywhere and the streets resounded to taranas, Islamic chants, blaring from cell phones and ghetto blasters. Many of the fighters carried captured American weapons in place of their traditional Russian AK-47s inherited from the era of war against the Soviets.

And on it went as the purge began. No sooner had the Taliban taken control but the worst fears of many people were realised. The rest would soon be history.

But Ben didn’t care.