Afghan locals opened their food stalls as they tried to resume normal life amid the Taliban takeover in Kabul yesterday.

People were seen on the streets, tending to their plants and opening their shops in the Afghanistan capital on August 16.

Resident Bibi Janey said: ‘People are going back to work, the shops are mostly open, men and women in the streets.’

Taliban forces seized Kabul on August 16, settling into the presidential palace after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

A Taliban spokesman said the war was ‘over’ and that the militants have accomplished their objective or retaking the Middle East country following two decades of western occupation started by former leaders George Bush and Tony Blair.

Mohammad Naeem said: ‘We have reached what we were seeking, which is the freedom of our country and the independence of our people. We will not allow anyone to use our lands to target anyone, and we do not want to harm others.’

Meanwhile, the US State Department said there has been no formal transfer of power from the Afghan government to the Taliban, but declined to say if Ghani was still recognised as Afghanistan’s president.