Afghan President Ashraf Ghani who left the country after The Taliban entered Kabul, said on Sunday that he had left the country to avoid bloodshed.
In a post on his Facebook page, Ghani said he had faced a difficult decision, with the fate of millions of Kabul residents and the security of the city at stake after 20 years of war in which countless numbers had already been killed.
“To avoid bloodshed, I thought it would be better to leave,” he said in his first comments since flying out of the country.
He added that the Taliban insurgents, who later entered the presidential palace in Kabul, now faced an historic test.
“The Taliban won in the judgment of sword and gun and they have the responsibility to protect the honour, prosperity and self-respect of our countrymen,” he said.
He did not disclose details on his current location till now.
The news channel Al Jazeera, citing a personal bodyguard of the president, said, Ghani, his wife, his chief of staff and national security adviser had flown to Tashkent in neighboring Uzbekistan.
Spokesman Mohammad Naeem said in an interview with Al Jazeera TV, “Ghani’s escape was unexpected and even those close to him did not expect it.”
“We are ready to have a dialogue with all Afghan figures and will guarantee them the necessary protection,” he told Al Jazeera Mubasher TV.
The Taliban was seeing the fruits of its efforts and sacrifices for 20 years, he said, and would adopt a policy of non-interference in others’ affairs in return for non-interference in Afghanistan.
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