PESHAWAR, Nov 13: App-rehending an imminent attack on Kabul from the Northern Alliance in the wake of its sudden territorial gains, a large number of people had started fleeing Afghan capital on Monday afternoon, a resident of Kabul reaching Peshawar on Tuesday morning, told Dawn.

People started leaving the city in the afternoon after the Northern Alliance fighters took up positions at a distance of 15 kilometres in the North of Kabul after neutralizing the Taliban’s front lines, 45 kilometres North of the Kabul on Monday.

Several of the fleeing families were seen heading towards eastern provinces of Afghanistan. Some were heading towards rural areas to avoid fresh fighting.

“Taliban started leaving Kabul at 8:00pm local time on Monday,” Mustafa Karimi, a bearded young man who arrived in Peshawar on Tuesday, toldDawn.

A large convoy, said Mustafa, involving several number of cars, buses and trucks left Kabul for the eastern provinces of the country taking the main road linking the Afghan capital with Pakistan.

Afghanistan’s defence minister Ubaidullah Akhund and a couple of other senior Taliban leaders, present in Kabul on Monday, also left the city on Monday night heading south of the capital towards the Logar province, said another Afghan also arrived in Peshawar on Tuesday.

Taliban supporters boarding vehicles were seen heading towards the country’s eastern provinces on Monday night.

“No one was expecting what has happened in Kabul — Taliban’s retreat,” said an Afghan who arrived in Peshawar on Tuesday evening.

The Pashto-speaking Afghans, said the sources, formed majority of those who were at present on the run from Kabul.

“We really had had a bad experience with the Northern Alliance forces when they captured the city last time hence could not take risk. They (the non-Pukhtoons) had been driven out of Kabul and marginalized by the Pukhtoon-dominated Taliban,” said Mustafa.

The Taliban’s retreat from Kabul, for many, came a big surprise after the student militia, said the sources, were strengthening their positions in and around the capital for the last four to five days.

Security arrangements had also been beefed up in the capital and additional pickets had recently been set up and extensive checking was being carried out of every person leaving or entering the city, said the sources.