Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says fled country to prevent ‘flood of bloodshed’

KABUL: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said that he had fled the country on Sunday to “prevent a flood of bloodshed”, as the Taliban entered the capital. Ghani said he believed “countless patriots would be martyred and the city of Kabul would be destroyed” if he had stayed behind.
“The Taliban have won... and are now responsible for the honour, property and self-preservation of their countrymen,” he said in a statement posted to Facebook.
“They are now facing a new historical test. Either they will preserve the name and honour of Afghanistan or they will give priority to other places and networks,” he added. He didn’t say where he had travelled to, but Afghan media group Tolo news suggested he had gone to Tajikistan.