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.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU