President-in-exile Ashraf Ghani appeared in the first video message since fleeing Afghanistan.
Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who is now in the United Arab Emirates with his family, addressed the world for the first time in recent days after fleeing the country amid the Taliban’s seizure via his Facebook page.
Speaking in Pashto, Ghani said he was forced to flee the country to prevent a major disaster, but added that he was in talks to return home and support Taliban-Karzai talks.
Addressing the world, Ashraf Ghani defended his action to leave the country, saying he did so to prevent further bloodshed.
Ghani said the Taliban are looking for him and that what happened in Afghanistan 25 years ago is going to happen again and needs to be avoided.
Those who are saying that I have fled from Afghanistan, they should know the reality and the whole truth. He said that he has given up the security of the country for the sake of the country’s security.
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Earlier in the day, the United Arab Emirates said it had acknowledged Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his family for “humanitarian considerations”. Ghani fled Afghanistan as the Taliban approached Kabul.
A statement by the UAE’s official WAM news agency on Wednesday did not say where Ghani was in the country. It cited the country’s foreign ministry in a one-sentence statement.
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