World News | Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Releases Video, 1st Since Fleeing Kabul
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday defended his decision to flee Kabul in the face of the Taliban advance, describing it as the only way to prevent bloodshed.
Dubai, Aug 19 (AP) Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday defended his decision to flee Kabul in the face of the Taliban advance, describing it as the only way to prevent bloodshed.
He also denied claims by his country's ambassador to Tajikistan that he had stolen millions of dollars from state funds.
Ghani posted a video on his Facebok page late on Wednesday, confirming that he was in the United Arab Emirates.
He thanked Afghan security forces in his message, but also said that the “failure of the peace process” led to the Taliban snatching power.
He also indirectly tried to quash an accusation by Afghanistan's ambassador to Tajikistan that he had stolen USD 169 million from state funds.
He claimed that he was "forced to leave Afghanistan with one set of traditional clothes, a vest and the sandals I was wearing".
"Accusations were charged in these days that money was transferred, these accusations are fully baseless," he said.
Ghani left Afghanistan on Sunday just as the Taliban approached Kabul. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)