Under the title "For the Sake of Bloodshed... Ashraf Ghani's First Statement After His Exit," the Al-Arabiya website reported that hours after leaving the country to an undisclosed location, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani revealed on Sunday that the Taliban was prepared to violently attack the capital, Kabul, emphasizing that they imposed their authority by force of arms. In a message through Facebook, which represents his first statement after leaving, he noted that the group now faces a historic test, indicating that most Afghan citizens are worried about their future.
He stated that he left Afghanistan "for the sake of bloodshed," acknowledging the group's victory. Ghani, whose location remains unspecified, expressed confidence that many citizens would have been killed and that Kabul would have been destroyed had he remained in Afghanistan, adding that "the Taliban has won," as he put it.
The president's remarks came hours after Afghan reconciliation chief Abdullah Abdullah announced that Ashraf Ghani had left the country, noting that he has become like a "former President of Afghanistan." Abdullah described Ghani's departure in a video posted on his Facebook account as "a disregard for the lives of citizens and public safety in Kabul."
It is noteworthy that the Taliban entered Kabul and officially took over the administration of the Afghan capital within hours after government forces fled. The group ordered its fighters to enter Kabul under the pretext of "preventing looting," asserting the securing of police stations, Kabul University, and the Ministry of Education, after security centers were emptied of their personnel.
The Afghan president left the country on a helicopter with the National Security Advisor on Sunday, and a senior Afghan interior ministry official confirmed the news, while the Afghan presidency emphasized that Ghani's movements could not be disclosed for security reasons.
