Fled country to save 6mn lives in Kabul: Ashraf Ghani
What's the story
Ex-Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled to the UAE before the Taliban seized power last month, on Wednesday apologized to the people for leaving the country abruptly, saying he believed it was the "only way to keep the guns silent and save Kabul and her six million people." Ghani denied reports that he left Kabul with millions of dollars in cash from the treasury.
Details
I left at the advise of the palace security: Ghani
Ghani said, "I owe the Afghan people an explanation for leaving Kabul abruptly on August 15 after the Taliban unexpectedly entered the city." "I left at the urging of the palace security who advised me that to remain risked setting off the same horrific street-to-street fighting the city had suffered during the Civil War of the 1990s," he added.
Twitter Post
Ghani shared his statement over Twitter
Statement 8 September 2021 pic.twitter.com/5yKXWIdLfM
— Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) September 8, 2021
Ashraf Ghani
Leaving Kabul was most difficult decision of my life: Ghani
"Leaving Kabul was the most difficult decision of my life but believe it was the only way to keep the guns silent and save Kabul and her six million citizens," the 72-year-old former president said. His latest statement came a day after the Taliban unveiled an interim government to run the war-torn country, naming Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund as leader of the new government.
Further details
Sorry that I could not make it end differently: Ghani
Ghani left Afghanistan as the Taliban advanced on Kabul on August 15. Three days later, the UAE's foreign ministry said the country had welcomed Ghani and his family on humanitarian grounds. Reiterating that his commitment to the Afghan people has never wavered and will guide him for the rest of his life, Ghani apologized that he "could not make it end differently."
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Ghani was president between September 2014 and August 2021
Ghani, who was President of Afghanistan between September 2014 and August 2021 and backed by the West, said that he has devoted 20 years of his life to helping the Afghan people work toward building a democratic, prosperous, and sovereign state.
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'My own chapter ended in similar tragedy to my predecessors'
"It was never my intent to abandon the people," he said. "I offer my profound appreciation and respect for the sacrifice of all Afghans, especially our Afghan soldiers and their families, through the last 40 years. It is with deep and profound regret that my own chapter ended in similar tragedy to my predecessors--without ensuring stability and prosperity," he concluded.
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He has been widely criticized for leaving Afghanistan
Notably, a day after fleeing the country, on August 15, Ghani made a similar statement stating that he fled the country to prevent the "flood of bloodshed" in Afghanistan. Ghani has been widely criticized for leaving Afghans to an uncertain fate under the Taliban.