Ashraf Ghani vows to return, says did not take money

New Delhi: Former President Ashraf Ghani, who was welcomed by the United Arab Emirates after he fled Afghanistan posted his first message on Facebook after the fall of Kabul and clarified several things including the allegation that Ghani left Kabul with four cars and a helicopter stuffed with cash.

In the video message, Ghani said these claims are baseless as he was forced to leave to avoid bloodshed. He did not even have the time to change his shoes and left Kabul with the sandals that he was wearing at the Presidential palace.

“Do not believe whoever tells you that your president sold you out and fled for his own advantage and to save his own life,” he said adding, “These accusations are baseless… and I strongly reject them.”

“I was expelled from Afghanistan in such a way that I didn’t even get the chance to take my slippers off my feet and pull on my boots,” he said.

The UAE said it is hosting Ghani on ‘humanitarian grounds’ after he left Kabul after the Taliban entered Kabul and declared an unopposed victory.

Ghani said that the Taliban had entered Kabul despite an agreement not to do so. He also said that though he was in favor of a peaceful transition of power, he was expelled from Afghanistan.

He backed the talks between the Taliban and former president Hamid Karzai and senior official Abdullah Abdullah and said he wants the success of the process.

After Ashraf Ghani said he wants to return to Afghanistan, the United States said it did not see Ashraf Ghani as a player in Afghanistan. “He is no longer a figure in Afghanistan,” Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told reporters.

Image courtesy of (Photo: Wikimedia)

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