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The UAE claims Ghani was taken away on “humanitarian grounds” after fleeing Afghanistan as the Taliban took control of the country.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, speaking from exile in the United Arab Emirates, said he left Kabul to avoid bloodshed and denied reports he took large sums of money with him as he left the presidential palace.
Ghani has been bitterly criticized by former ministers for suddenly leaving the country as Taliban forces entered Kabul on Sunday.
“If I had stayed I would have witnessed bloodshed in Kabul,” Ghani said in a video posted to Facebook on Wednesday, his first public comments since being confirmed to be in the United Arab Emirates. .
He left on the advice of government officials, he added.
“Kabul shouldn’t be turned into another Yemen or Syria because of the power struggles, so I was forced to leave,” Ghani said.
It was not known where Ghani was until Wednesday, with speculation he had fled to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan or Oman.
Earlier Wednesday, the United Arab Emirates confirmed in a ministry statement that the Gulf country was hosting Ghani and his family “on humanitarian grounds.”
Afghanistan’s ambassador to Tajikistan accused Ghani of stealing $ 169 million in public funds and called on international police to arrest him.
Ambassador Mohammad Zahir Aghbar told a press conference on Wednesday that Ghani “stole $ 169 million from state coffers” and called his theft a “betrayal of state and nation” .
Al Jazeera’s James Bay report from the United Nations said it was an allegation “that resonated on social media among senior members of his former cabinet and those close to him”, including his Defense Minister Bismillah Khan.
“Bismillah Khan was on Twitter, he said: ‘Those who sell or sell their homeland should be punished and arrested.’ He added the hashtag #InterpolArrestGhani, ”Bays said.
Ghani also said in his live speech that he supported talks between the Taliban and former senior government officials, and that he was “in talks to return” to his home after seeking refuge in the United Arab Emirates.
“I support the government’s initiative of ongoing negotiations with Abdullah Abdullah and former President Hamid Karzai. I want this process to be successful, ”he said.
“I am in consultation for my return to Afghanistan so that I can continue the efforts for justice, true Islamic and national values.”
The United Arab Emirates is one of three countries, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, that have recognized the former Taliban regime, which ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.
On Monday, there were scenes of panic and chaos at Kabul airport as desperate residents tried to flee the war-torn country. Deaths have been reported as some cling to planes flying out of the capital.
Earlier this year, the war between the Taliban and Afghan forces escalated when foreign troops announced their withdrawal from the country on September 11, the 20th anniversary of the attacks that led to the US invasion.
With the fall of the Afghan government, attention turns to the safety of civilians and evacuees and an orderly transfer of power.
The Taliban said the war in Afghanistan was over and efforts to form an inclusive government were underway.
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