Afghanistan Crisis LIVE Updates: Reports of atrocities by the Taliban kept coming from warn-ton Afghanistan on Wednesday. In one such incident, at least three people died and 12 others were injured after Taliban fighters opened fire at a crowd of protesters in Jalalabad city. Meanwhile, the UEA yesterday confirmed that former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani and his family have been given shelter in the Emirates on “humanitarian grounds”. Three days after fleeing Afghanistan, Ghani said he was “in talks to return” home, reported AFP. Ashraf Ghani said he supported talks between the Taliban and top former officials and denied allegations that he transferred large sums of money out of the country before fleeing to the United Arab Emirates. Defending his decision to flee Kabul in the face of the Taliban advance, Ghani described it as the only way to prevent bloodshed. The events unfolding in Afghanistan are being keenly observed across the globe; stay tuned to this LIVE blog for all the latest updates from Afghanistan.

8:30 AM: Biden Says Deadline to Withdraw US Troops May be Extended

US President Joe Biden has that he is committed to keeping US troops in Afghanistan until every American is evacuated, even if that means maintaining a military presence there beyond his August 31 deadline for withdrawal.

7:45 AM: ‘Ashraf Ghani fled Kabul with $169 million in cash’

Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Tajikistan, Mohammad Zahir Agbar, has claimed that President Ashraf Ghani had “taken $169 million with him” when he fled Afghanistan. He called for Ghani’s arrest. Earlier, Russia’s diplomatic mission in Kabul had alleged that Ghani fled the country with vehicles full of cash.

7:36 AM: Impossible to Leave Afghanistan Without Chaos, Says Biden

US President Joe Biden said Wednesday it had been impossible to leave Afghanistan without chaos, as the United States pleaded with the Taliban to allow safe passage for people to flee.

7:18 AM: No IMF resources For Afghanistan

The International Monetary Fund said that Afghanistan will not be able to access IMF resources, including a new allocation of Special Drawing Rights reserves, due to a lack of clarity over the recognition of its government after the Taliban seized control of Kabul: Reuters

7:15 AM: Ashraf Ghani to Return to Afghanistan?

Former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani says ‘in talks to return’ home after fleeing: AFP news agency

7:10 AM: Ghani Releases Video, 1st since fleeing Kabul

posted a video on his Facebook 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.