Afghanistan’s ex-president Ashraf Ghani defends fleeing as Taliban moved on Kabul
- In interview, ex-president Ashraf Ghani said he wanted to avoid the humiliation of surrender
- Ghani also denied persistent allegations that he took tens of millions of dollars in cash with him
On the eve of the anniversary of the Taliban 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 Taliban at the gates of the Afghan capital, he was the last one at the presidential palace after his guards had disappeared.
He said the defence minister told him earlier that day that Kabul could not be defended.
Ghani had previously sought to justify his actions on the day Kabul fell, but offered more details on Sunday.
He alleged that one of the cooks in the palace had been offered US$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 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.”