Former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani has issued his first message after fleeing the country on 15th August after the Taliban captured the capital Kabul. In a video message issued on Facebook, Ghani alleged that he was forced to leave Afghanistan as the Taliban was planning to kill him, and denied reports of taking huge amounts of money with him.
Ashraf Ghani said that he wanted to transfer power to the Taliban peacefully. But he was evicted against his will, as he didn’t want to hang as the president of Afghanistan. He said that he was forced to leave Kabul as the Taliban was looking for him. He said that he decided to not cause bloodshed in the capital, and that’s why fled the country to avoid a huge disaster.
He said that he was in the presidential palace when the guards told him that a coupe-like situation was developing fast after the Taliban had entered the capital, and he decided to escape quickly. Refuting the reports that he fled with huge amounts of cash and luxury cars in a helicopter, Ghani said that his main assets are books, and he only managed to bring only a few books with him. He termed the accusations of fleeing with millions in cash as completely baseless and lies.
Ashraf Ghani added that he didn’t have the time to change from slippers to shoes, and fled in what he was wearing at that time. The former president confirmed that he is in UAE, and said that he will return to Afghanistan in near future. He added that some confidential documents were left at the Presidential Palace, which have fallen into the hands of the Taliban now.
The former president appreciated the efforts of former president Hamid Karzai and National Reconciliation chairperson Abdullah Abdullah in the smooth transition of power. However, he refrained from mentioning his vice president Amrullah Saleh, who has declared himself the acting president and mobilising resistance against the Taliban in the Panjshir province in Afghanistan, the only province still not captured by the Taliban.
Ashraf Ghani said that he is consulting with others for the efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan and to return and fight for the sovereignty of his country.
Amid the speculations of possible destinations of Ghani after he fled Kabul on Sunday, today UAE had confirmed that they welcomed Ghani and his family on humanitarian grounds.
