Afghan workers began rebuilding a damaged road in Kandahar City days after the Taliban swept into Afghanistan’s capital.

Footage from Wednesday morning (August 18) shows engineers overseeing the restoration of a damaged culvert on Kandahar-Herat highway. Traffic started building up in the area as heavy equipment brought in materials for the rebuilding operation.

Taliban forces seized Kabul on August 15, 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.