Former Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled the country on Sunday as the Taliban approached Kabul, is in the United Arab Emirates, the host country said on Wednesday. The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it accepted Ghani and his family on humanitarian grounds.

The Taliban took control of Afghanistan on Sunday, entering the presidential palace in the capital Kabul and ending an insurgent offensive that ripped through the country in 10 days. The group made swift advances and captured key Afghan cities even as foreign troops prepared to withdraw from the country by the end of August.

The situation in the country remained volatile on Wednesday. In Jalalabad, the Taliban fired at people protesting against the replacement of Afghanistan’s flag with the hardline group’s banner. Three people were killed and 12 were injured, according to Al Jazeera.

Scenes of panic and desperation had unfolded at the Kabul airport on Monday as thousands of people tried to flee the war-torn country. Some held on to the sides of a plane and at least two people fell to their deaths after it took off.

Here are other key updates on the Afghan crisis:

  1. The Taliban on Wednesday met former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul amid their efforts to establish a government in the country, TOLO News reported.
  2. The hardline group fired gunshots at the Kabul airport on Wednesday to scatter huge crowds, CNN reported. “They’ve been whipping people ... firing shots in the air, firing shots at people,” the news network’s Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward said. Seventeen people were wounded in a stampede at the airport gate, Al Jazeera reported.
  3. Pakistan has begun granting visas upon arrival to foreigners, diplomats and journalists leaving Kabul, according to Al Jazeera.
  4. The United Kingdom, European Union and the United States issued a joint statement expressing concern about the rights of Afghan women and girls. “Afghan women and girls, as all Afghan people, deserve to live in safety, security and dignity,” they said. “We in the international community stand ready to assist them with humanitarian aid and support, to ensure that their voices can be heard.”
  5. Switzerland said it will not take refugees coming in directly from Afghanistan. Instead, the government will individually review applications for asylum.