Where Afghanistan President Ghani Had Gone?

Knowinsiders August 16, 2021 | 04:31

Taliban fighters entered Kabul and President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan. Where President Ghani had gone?

Afghanistan President Ghani flees to Tajikistan

Afghan president flees country

The Taliban fanned out across the capital on Sunday and took control of the presidential palace. The Taliban also said it had taken control of most of the districts around the outskirts of the capital.

As the Taliban closed in on Sunday, President Ashraf Ghani flew out of the country.

Ghani later posted on Facebook that he had chosen to leave the country to avert bloodshed in the capital, without saying where he had gone.

President Ashraf Ghani's departure — and the hurried evacuation of all personnel from the U.S. Embassy — followed a lightning-fast Taliban offensive across the country that brought an embarrassing end to the U.S. military presence after two decades.

Head of High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah in a video clip while terming Ashraf Ghani a former President said he has left Afghanistan. He said that he left the people of Afghanistan in mess and misery and he will be judged accordingly.

Afghanistan's acting defense minister, General Bismillah Mohammadi, slammed the fleeing president in a brief tweet Sunday, writing: "They tied our hands behind our backs and sold the homeland, damn the rich man and his gang."

Afghanistan President Ghani flees to Tajikistan

Local media reported that Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday left the country reportedly for Tajikistan along with National Security Adviser Hamdullah Muhib and head of the administrative office of President Fazel Mahmood Fazli as Taliban took over Kabul, Presidential Palace. Some of Afghanistan's lawmakers have also fled to Islamabad.

Speaker of Afghan parliament Mir Rahman Rahmani, Younus Qanuni, Muhammad Muhaqeq, Karim Khalili, Ahmad Wali Masoud, and Ahmad Zia Masoud have fled to Islamabad, Afghan media reported.

President Ghani said he believed “countless patriots would be martyred and the city of Kabul would be destroyed” if he had stayed behind.

“The Taliban have won … and are now responsible for the honour, property and self-preservation of their countrymen,” he said.

Video - President Ashraf Ghani leaves Afghanistan:

Who is Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani: Biography, Personal Profile

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani flew out of the country.

Taliban: Peaceful Handover

The Taliban in an official statement said that the fighters were directed to enter Kabul city so that they prevent potential looting and chaos in the city, as per media reports. The statement reads that, since Afghan forces have left outposts in Kabul city, there is a risk of plundering.

U.S. forces were evacuating all staff members from the city's U.S. Embassy via Kabul's airport after Biden authorized the deployment of 5,000 troops to the country.

And the Pentagon is sending an additional 1,000 troops to Kabul to help with the deteriorating security situation.

Where Afghanistan President Ghani Had Gone?

The Taliban’s leadership, surrounded by dozens of armed fighters, addressed the media from the country’s seat of power.

Later, in an apparent "handover" ceremony, the Taliban claimed the palace with three Afghan government officials present, according to Al Jazeera, which carried the appearance live. One Taliban security official said there was a "peaceful handover of government facilities ongoing across the country."

The Taliban had been in talks with Afghanistan's government over who would rule the nation, following the militant group's strikingly rapid advance across the country, in which it seized power over dozens of key cities, often with little to no resistance. But those talks are likely to have been scuppered by the sudden departure of President Ghani.