Former Afghan President Ghani apologizes to the Afghan people for exile – Topky.sk

Ghani said in a statement posted on Twitter that he had left Kabul at the urging of his security team. He allegedly told him that if he stayed, he would risk experiencing the city “the same street fighting it suffered during the civil war in the 1990s”. “Leaving Kabul was the most difficult decision of my life, but I believed it was the only way to keep the arms calm and save Kabul and its six million inhabitants.” wrote Ghani.

Statement 8 September 2021 pic.twitter.com/5yKXWIdLfM

– Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) September 8, 2021

Accused of betraying his homeland

Ghani’s latest statement largely coincides with a report he released from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) immediately after his departure from Kabul. His statement at the time provoked sharp criticism from former ministers of his government, who accused him of betraying his homeland, Reuters reminds.

Ghani, a former World Bank employee, won the Afghan president in two controversial elections (2014 and 2019), which marked widespread allegations of fraud, both on his part and on the part of his rivals. He has now described as “completely and categorically untrue” allegations that he left his homeland with millions of dollars in cash, Reuters reports.

“Corruption is a plague that has crippled our country for decades, and the fight against corruption has been one of the priorities of my efforts as president.” stated. He also praised the Afghans for the sacrifices they have made over the past 40 years. “It is a deep disappointment that my own chapter ended in a similar tragedy to my predecessors – without ensuring stability and prosperity (in the country). I apologize to the Afghan people for not being able to reach another end,” he added.

The situation worsened in April

The situation in Afghanistan has worsened after Biden announced in April his decision to end operations in the country. The Taliban quickly launched a large-scale offensive operation and entered Kabul on August 15 without encountering resistance. He took control of the metropolis within a few hours. President Ghani immediately left his homeland. Many countries have evacuated their citizens and embassy staff.

The Taliban took control of the country and ordered all foreign forces to leave by August 31. One minute before midnight on August 30-31, local time, the last American plane took off from the international airport in the Afghan capital Kabul.