When the Taliban come to town: Kalashnikovs in hand, fighters check out presidential gym, enjoy rides at Kabul amusement park

Taliban fighters were seen enjoying amusement park rides in Kabul a day after the insurgent group captured the Afghan capital.

Videos, posted by the French media outlet Mediavenir on Twitter, showed the Taliban militants, some of them with weapons in their hands, riding the carousel. Other clips showed them riding small electric bumper cars.

Journalists have also shared similar videos online. A clip by freelance journalist Assad Hanna shows the insurgent group’s members gleefully jumping on a trampoline.

Another news agency posted a clip of the militants working out at a gym, purportedly inside Kabul’s presidential palace. Take a look at the video here —

These videos come as a shock, especially because scenes of chaos and desperation of the Afghan people have gone viral on social media after the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country. Videos surfaced from Kabul’s international airport showing people desperately trying to escape the Taliban.

The clips show people trying to jostle and board the airplanes, even hanging off the railings as they try to get out of the country. Media reports also alleged that seven people, including two shot by US forces, had died due to the chaos at the airport.

Another video posted on social media showed people falling to their deaths from an aircraft that had taken off from Kabul. The persons had been clinging to the exterior of the aircraft.

Countries are trying their best to evacuate residents from Afghanistan. An air force rescue plane carrying the Indian ambassador to Afghanistan and his staff have landed in Jamnagar from Kabul, according to media reports.

Efforts are also being made to help Afghan citizens. India has launched emergency visa services for Afghans of all religions. The government said changes in the visa policy were made “in view of the current situation in Afghanistan" and launched an "e-Emergency X-Misc Visa” to fast-track visa applications.