Afghan president fled to the UAE: “He had $169 million with him when he left Afghanistan” | Instagram news VTM

The president left his country in a hurry last weekend when the extremist Islamist Taliban movement seized the capital, Kabul, ending the re-taking of control of the country. The Afghan leader had stated that he would leave the country for Prevent more bloodshed.

The Gulf Foreign Ministry said that the UAE received Ghani and his family on humanitarian grounds. Ghani now resides in Abu Dhabi.

He reportedly fled first to Tajikistan but was diverted to Oman when officials in the capital, Dushanbe, refused to let him land. The Afghan ambassador to Tajikistan called Ghani’s trip a “betrayal”. Speaking at the press conference of the Afghan embassy in Dushanbe, Mohammad Zahir Agbar said the president had $169 million with him when he fled Afghanistan on Sunday. He also announced that the embassy intends to recognize Vice President Amrullah Saleh as the Acting President of Afghanistan.

After Ghani fled, Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh claims he is now the legitimate leader of Afghanistan. As a “legitimate interim president” he calls on the population to join the “resistance”. In messages on Twitter, he claimed to have stayed in Afghanistan.

Ghani defended his decision in a video message on Facebook today. The fugitive president claims he fled Kabul to avoid bloodshed and denies taking large sums of money with him. “If I had stayed there, there would be bloodshed in Kabul,” said Ghani, who said he left on the advice of members of his government. Pending his return, he will closely monitor developments and consult others, she says, so that he can “continue his efforts for justice for Afghans.” He also stated that he supports negotiations between the Taliban and previous Afghan responsibilities. I support the government’s initiative to negotiate with (former Vice President) Abdullah Abdullah and former President Hamid Karzai. I hope it will be successful.”