A Taliban flag was painted on the walls outside the former US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, new photos show.
The flag appeared to have been painted in the past few days, and was shared by photojournalist Jake Simkin on Monday.
The embassy was abandoned by US diplomats on August 15 as the city fell to the militant group amid America's chaotic withdrawal from the country.
Embassy operations have since been moved to Doha, the capital of Qatar, and are focused chiefly on processing immigrant visas for refugees.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on August 30, after the last US troops had left the country, that he anticipated the embassy would remain closed for the foreseeable future.
A Taliban flag was painted on the walls outside the former US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, photos show
Murals outside the former US embassy in Kabul have been painted over white with black Arabic text since the US pulled out of the country last week
The embassy was abandoned by US diplomats on August 15 as Kabul fell to the Taliban. A helicopter was seen evacuating the workers in scenes reminiscent of the fall of Saigon in 1975
The entrance to the embassy as it appeared on August 26, in the leadup to the full US withdrawal from the country on August 30
'Given the uncertain security environment and political situation in Afghanistan, it was the prudent step to take,' he said.
On the other side of the entrance the Taliban appeared to have painted the group's version of the Shahada Statement, which is a statement of belief core to Islamic tradition.
The flag, which features a depiction of the Quran, appeared after murals on thick concrete perimeter walls around the embassy compound were painted over white with black Arabic text earlier in the week.
'The US embassy is now in the possession of the Taliban,' Simkin wrote on Twitter. 'The walls out front are now painted with their emblem and flag.'
The development came as the Taliban continued to consolidate its control over the country, and claimed it had taken complete control of Panjshir province, the last area of the country being held by resistance forces.
The Islamists released footage of their white banner flying over the provincial capital of Bazarak on Monday after a swift battle which saw them overwhelm the resistance.
Resistance leader Ahmad Massoud appeared to admit defeat in an audio message sent to the media in which he called on Afghans for a 'a national uprising for the dignity, freedom and prosperity of our country.'
Meanwhile the Taliban continued to consolidate its power over the country, and was seen Monday raising its flag outside its new 'headquarters' in Panjshir province - the last holdout of anti-Taliban forces in Afghanistan since the group's blitz across the country last month
Ahmad Massoud (pictured center in 2019), the leader of the Afghan National Resistance Front called on Afghans to 'begin a national uprising for the dignity, freedom and prosperity of our country' as he appeared to admit defeat
The Taliban claim he has fled to Turkey.
If it is proven true that Massoud, 32 - the son of legendary freedom fighter Ahmad Shah, the 'Lion of the Panjshir' - it will surely be a hammer blow to any remaining resistance fighters in the province.
Commanders from the vanquished Afghan National Army and their staff had headed to the region to join up with Massoud's band of warriors, ethnic Tajiks who have long fought against Taliban rule.
Massoud, a King's College London and Sandhurst graduate, was reportedly still in the province as of Sunday with former vice president and ally Amrullah Saleh.
They had offered peace talks to the jihadists which were rejected.
Meanwhile, the US State Department has been accused of blocking dozens of Americans from fleeing Afghanistan after failing to tell the Taliban it had green-lighted charter flights for Americans and Afghan visa holders trying to flee the country.
In the north of the country, six planes are seen on the tarmac at Mazar Sharif Airport in Afghanistan, amid claims a blunder by the US State Department has prevented them from evacuating Americans and Afghan visa holders
On Sunday, Reuters reported that the delay had been caused by Biden administration officials not telling Taliban leaders it had approved the departures of the chartered flights from an airport in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, 260 miles north of Afghan capital Kabul.
An exasperated flight organizer hit out at the State Department over the fiasco, saying: 'They need to be held
