As the Taliban claim control of Afghanistan, thousands of Afghan residents are fleeing their homes in order to escape Taliban regime.

The government established with the help of the US and the allies in 2004 has collapsed, meaning power will be handed to the Taliban.

With the UN urging neighbouring countries to keep their borders open to refugees fleeing Afghanistan, leaders around the world are offering their support to residents wishing to leave. 

These include Nicola Sturgeon, who has urged the UK Government to offer refuge to those in need. 

But can Scotland welcome Afghan refugees? Here's what you need to know... 

Will Scotland welcome Afghan refugees?

Nicola Sturgeon has tweeted her support for those seeking refuge from Afghanistan, urging the Birtish Government to accept refugees. 

Since immigration is not currently a devolved power in Scotland, the country has to abide by the rules and laws set out by the UK Government. 

It means that Scotland will have to follow the plans of the UK Government regarding Afghan refugees. 

On Monday morning, the First Minister retweeted a post from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) which said it had welcomed a plane carrying Afghan refugees to Canada. 

She wrote: "I hope UK government does similar and offers as much refuge for vulnerable Afghans as possible.

"As we did with Syrian refugees, the Scottish Government is willing to play our full part and do all we can to help those in peril as a result of the horrifying situation currently unfolding."

Meanwhile, CEO of the Scottish Refugee Council Sabir Zazai tweeted: "We're ready @scotrefcouncil to work with Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish Government to save lives and deliver on #Scotland's longstanding tradition of reaching out to those fleeing persecution and human rights violations. #AyeWelcomeRefugees"

On Sunday evening Boris Johnson said his priority is helping British nationals to escape Afghanistan, but he did not detail how many refugees the UK would welcome. 

On Monday morning, the Telegraph reported that the UK would waive border rules to allow Afghan refugees to flee to Britian without a passport to escape the Taliban.  

It is understood that the Scottish Home Office is looking for hotel space to provide short-term accommodation for refugees in Glasgow and other Scottish councils.

A Cobra meeting was held on Sunday afternoon to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, and Parliament will be recalled from recess on Wednesday. 

In a video posted on Twitter on Sunday night, the Prime Minister said the UK Government would "get as many (Afghan people) as we can out in the next few days."