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Ousted Afghan president Ashraf Ghani fled to UAE

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  • Ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled his country as its capital Kabul was being overtaken by Taliban fighters, is now in the United Arab Emirates.
  • As the militants entered the presidential palace and declared the war “over,” Ghani said he fled to prevent “a flood of bloodshed.”
  • In separate news briefings, President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg placed the blame squarely on the Afghan national government for the stunning and swift Taliban takeover.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled his country as its capital Kabul was being overtaken by Taliban fighters, is now in the United Arab Emirates, the Emirati government confirmed to CNBC.

“The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the UAE has welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday, which was later posted to its website.

Ghani left Afghanistan on Sunday evening, with no announcement or clear reporting on where he was going. As the Taliban entered the presidential palace and declared the war “over,” Ghani, 72, said he fled to prevent “a flood of bloodshed.”

“The Taliban have won with the judgment of their swords and guns, and are now responsible for the honor, property and self-preservation of their countrymen,” Ghani said. He was elected president twice, the first time in September 2014.

The White House, Pentagon and State Department did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Taliban forces made a series of stunning advances across the country of 39 million in the wake of the Biden administration and NATO announcing a full departure of U.S. and coalition forces by the end of August.

Amid the exodus of foreign troops, the Taliban were able to declare near complete control of the country within 10 days of seizing their first provincial capital.

File photo of Ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Russia claimed on Monday that Ghani fled Afghanistan with four cars and a helicopter all stuffed full of cash, “and some of the money was left lying on the tarmac.” A Russian embassy spokesman added

Despite being vastly outnumbered by the Afghan military, which has been assisted by U.S. and coalition forces for the last 20 years, the Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday.

In separate news briefings, President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg placed the blame squarely on the Afghan national government for the stunning and swift Taliban takeover.

“The truth is this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated,” Biden said in a speech from the White House on Monday, adding that he had been assured by the now-deposed Ghani that the U.S.-trained and equipped Afghan troops would hold their positions.

“Mr. Ghani insisted the Afghan forces would fight, but obviously he was wrong,” Biden said.

“American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves,” Biden said. “We gave them every chance to determine their own future. We could not provide them with the will to fight for that future.”

From NATO’s headquarters in Brussels, Stoltenberg said, “The failure of Afghan leadership led to the tragedy we are witnessing today.”

“Despite our considerable investment and sacrifice over two decades, the collapse was swift and sudden. There are many lessons to be learned,” he told reporters Tuesday.

“Ultimately the Afghan political leadership failed to stand up to the Taliban and achieve the peaceful solution that Afghans desperately wanted,” Stoltenberg, leader of the 30-member-strong military alliance, added.

CNBC

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3 responses to “Ousted Afghan president Ashraf Ghani fled to UAE”

  1. Arzna Avatar
    Arzna

    What a corrupt coward and a thief is this ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. A huge disappointment to his people and to the countries that supported him

    1. No Avatar
      No

      No not a disappointment to his people, only to the Western democracies that aspired to for more for Afghani than enough of the population wanted for itself. Not every people is always capable of maintaining, no less growing or establishing, a healthy democracy. Just now, Afghani do not want what Western democracies had to offer. In a couple of hundred years, the answer might be different.

      Of course the same could be said about Lebanese .. unless enough of the population gets onto its feet and asserts itself, the country will officially be a province of Greater Persia, under an authoritarian theocracy … … It is the people in-country that matter; of Lebanese decent and living elsewhere will be in the bleachers on game day.

      So, if you want to live in the Middle East and live in a functioning democracy, you had better move your self and family to … __________

  2. Debbie Johnson Sandahl Avatar
    Debbie Johnson Sandahl

    Why is it, that our government has to tell the world what we are doing? Case in point, President Bush telling the world we are going to attack Iraq and looking for weapons of mass destruction.
    (Nothing like telling the enemy we are coming in advance, so they can hide the weapons of mass destruction). The second case in point, President Biden telling the world we are pulling out of Afghanistan by end of August (Nothing like telling the taliban, come on and take the country over, along with our left behind Military weapons and vehicles it’s yours for the taking). When will our Government learn to keep their mouth shut and just do it.

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