Surreal videos appear to show armed Taliban fighters riding bumper cars and a merry-go-round following their takeover of Afghanistan

• Videos on Twitter appeared to show Taliban fighters on amusement-park rides after their takeover of Afghanistan.
• They could be seen driving bumper cars and riding a merry-go-round in the videos.
• Meanwhile, thousands of Afghans have been trying to escape the capital.

As thousands of people swarmed Kabul's airport on Monday in a bid to escape the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, videos circulating on social media appeared to show armed Taliban fighters enjoying amusement-park rides.

One video that went viral on Twitter depicted fighters driving bumper cars while touting guns.

In another video posted by Mediavenir, a French media outlet, they could be seen riding a merry-go-round.

Another video was said to show fighters trying out the gym at Afghanistan's presidential palace.

The hardline Islamist group ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, when US-led forces removed it from power following the September 11 attacks. The US has reportedly invested nearly $83 billion in training Afghanistan's security forces to defend against a Taliban incursion.

After years of fighting, the Taliban overtook Kabul over the weekend. The group's leaders declared that the "war is over" in the country.

On Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani went into exile, effectively handing the country over to the Taliban.

On Monday, crowds swarmed Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport in a desperate attempt to flee the country. Footage showed Afghans clambering aboard departing flights and some falling off the planes in midair.