Afghanistan’s ex-president Ashraf Ghani says he is ‘in talks to return’
- The former leader is being hosted by the United Arab Emirates on ‘humanitarian grounds’ after fleeing the country in face of the Taliban advance
- Ghani said he had left Kabul to prevent bloodshed and denied reports he took large sums of money with him as he departed the presidential palace
Former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani said on Wednesday that he was “in talks to return” home after seeking refuge in the United Arab Emirates.
In a video streamed on Facebook, his first public comments since it was confirmed he was in the UAE, Ghani said he had left Kabul to prevent bloodshed and denied reports he took large sums of money with him as he departed the presidential palace.
Ghani has been bitterly criticised by former ministers for leaving the country suddenly as Taliban forces entered Kabul on Sunday.
“If I had stayed, I would be witnessing bloodshed in Kabul,” Ghani said, adding that he had left on the advice of government officials.
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Afghanistan’s ex-president Ashraf Ghani denies fleeing with money, says he’s ‘in talks to return'
In the video message, the exiled politician also said he supported talks between the Taliban and top former government officials. The militants, who have pledged a different sort of rule in Afghanistan from their brutal regime two decades ago, met former president Hamid Karzai and senior official Abdullah Abdullah on Wednesday as they seek to form a government.
