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On eve of takeover anniversary, Ghani defends decision to flee Afghanistan
On the eve of the anniversary of the Islamic Emirate’s takeover of Kabul, Afghanistan’s former president on Sunday defended what he said was a split-second decision to flee, saying he wanted to avoid the humiliation of surrender to the insurgents.
Ashraf Ghani also told CNN that on the morning of August 15, 2021, with the IEA at the gates of the Afghan capital, he was the last one at the presidential palace after his guards had disappeared. He said the defense minister told him earlier that day that Kabul could not be defended, Associated Press reported.
Ghani had previously sought to justify his actions on the day Kabul fell but offered more details Sunday. He alleged that one of the cooks in the palace had been offered $100,000 to poison him and that he felt his immediate environment was no longer safe.
“The reason I left was because I did not want to give the Taliban (IEA) and their supporters the pleasure of yet again humiliating an Afghan president and making him sign over the legitimacy of the government,” he said. “I have never been afraid.”
Critics say Ghani’s sudden and secret departure August 15 left the city rudderless as U.S. and NATO forces were in the final stages of their chaotic withdrawal from the country after 20 years.
Ghani also denied persistent allegations that he took tens of millions of dollars in cash with him as he and other officials fled in helicopters.
In a report issued last week, a congressional watchdog said it’s unlikely Ghani and his senior advisers transported that much cash on the escape helicopters, AP reported.
“The hurried nature of their departure, the emphasis on passengers over cargo, the payload and performance limitations of the helicopters, and the consistent alignment in detailed accounts from witnesses on the ground and in the air all suggest that there was little more than $500,000 in cash on board the helicopters,” wrote the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, which has tried to monitor the massive U.S. spending in the country over the years.
The agency added, “It remains a strong possibility that significant amounts of U.S. currency disappeared from Afghan government property in the chaos of the Taliban (IEA) takeover, including millions from the presidential palace” and the vault of the National Directorate of Security. The report, however, said the watchdog was unable to determine how much money was stolen and by whom.
In the end, the IEA seized the capital without significant fighting last August, capping a weekslong military blitz in which they rapidly captured provincial capitals without much resistance from the increasingly demoralized Afghan security forces.
Thomas West, the US special representative for Afghanistan, said Monday the United States is deeply saddened by the devastating floods in different parts of the country and that its partners in the country are mobilizing emergency aid, including food and water.
Karen Decker, the US Embassy’s charge d’affaires for Afghanistan, also posted a message on X and said the US is heartbroken by loss of life in Baghlan and elsewhere in Afghanistan after heavy rains and flash floods.
“The United States joins others in mobilizing emergency relief, food, and medical supplies through partners to support recovery efforts,” Decker said.
The occurrence of devastating floods in several provinces of the country, especially in Baghlan, has caused casualties and huge financial losses to local residents.
Based on the latest statistics, more than 300 people have died in two districts of Baghlan.
A large number of aid organizations, including the European Union’s Office for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid, OCHA, the International Organization for Migration and the World Health Organization, are providing assistance to the flood victims.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Economic Deputy Prime Minister, visited flood-hit areas in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan on Monday to assess the devastation inflicted on the area.
After visiting the affected areas, Baradar met with local officials and gave instructions to them and representatives of working committees to provide the necessary assistance to the flood victims.
Baradar meanwhile pointed out that extreme damage had been caused in the flood-hit districts.
“It is necessary that the [disaster management] organization accelerates its efforts to provide food, medicine and shelter for the displaced citizens and aid to the flood affected areas,” said Baradar.
Baghlan and other northern provinces were hit by heavy rains and flash floods on Friday, which left more than 300 dead and over 1,600 injured.
Hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed and livestock wiped out.
Officials said huge financial losses have been incurred.
Appeals have been made by numerous organizations to aid agencies to step in to help the victims.
The spokesman of the Islamic Emirate says that the acting minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs met with the President of Turkey at a consultative meeting of scholars from the Islamic world.
Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on X that Noor Mohammad Saqib, Acting Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs, met and talked separately with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey, at the meeting.
Mujahid added that during the meeting, Erdoğan expressed his satisfaction over the security and the current situation in Afghanistan.
Mujahid quoted Saqib as having thanked Erdoğan for hosting the meeting and said: “Afghanistan wants good and advanced relations with the brother country of Turkey.”
According to Mujahid, Saqib added that the Islamic world, especially Afghanistan, expects the Erdoğan to play an important role in solving the problems of the Islamic Ummah.
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