Ashraf Ghani Interviews BBC: The Story of Former Afghan President's Escape from Afghanistan

BBC News 

December 31, 2021

Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has defended his decision to go away the us of a this yr at a time whilst the Taliban had been on the gates of Kabul. He says he did it to keep Kabul from destruction.

The Taliban seized energy after taking control of Kabul in August this 12 months.

Ashraf Ghani has found out that after he wakened at the morning of August 15, he had "no idea" that this would be his ultimate day in Afghanistan.

He advised BBC Radio four's these days software that as his plane turned into leaving Kabul, he found out he turned into leaving the united states of america.

he is thought to have survived an earlier try and oust him following Mr Jiang's intervention, in which he changed into accused of leaving the u . s . at a essential juncture. Ashraf Ghani is currently primarily based inside the United Arab Emirates.

Former President Ghani made the feedback whilst speaking to general Sir Nick Carter, the former chief of defense team of workers of the UK, who changed into a guest editor on Thursday's application these days.

Recalling the day, Ashraf Ghani said that the Taliban warring parties had agreed now not to enter Kabul, "however two hours later the state of affairs changed into no longer like that."

Afghan presidential palace

two special factions of the Taliban were shifting in two special directions," he stated. And the ability tensions among them may want to have devastated the metropolis of five million humans and the humans may want to have gone through a splendid tragedy. "

He agreed that his country wide safety adviser and his wife must depart Kabul, and then waited for a car that could drop him off at the Ministry of protection.

however the automobile could not attain. at the opposite, "anxious" presidential security chiefs approached him and informed him that "in case you insist on staying here, we will all be killed."

He did not give me extra than  mins," stated President Ghani. My commands have been to take me to Khost town. He informed me that Khost become additionally underneath Taliban control and so turned into Jalalabad.

I did no longer understand in which we had been going. It turned into simplest whilst we flew that it have become clean that we have been leaving Afghanistan. So it all came about in a hurry. "

After his departure, Ashraf Ghani confronted intense complaint from all quarters in Afghanistan, which include his vice president, Amrullah Saleh, who called it "disgraceful."

Ashraf Ghani appeared in a video on Facebook on August 15, 2021

Allegations were made that Ashraf Ghani had taken a large amount of money with him, but he categorically denied this and said that he would welcome an international inquiry into the matter. The allegation could be proved wrong.

I want to say bluntly that I did not bring money from the country," he added. My lifestyle is in front of everyone. What will I do with this money? ”However, he acknowledged that mistakes had been made, including that the international community's patience would not be exhausted.

However, he also referred to the agreement reached between the Taliban and US President Donald Trump, which laid the groundwork for the events of August 15.

"Instead of a peace process, we had an evacuation process," he said, adding that the way the agreement was reached "erased" us.

According to the agreement, the United States agreed to reduce its and its allies' troops and exchange prisoners, after which the Taliban agreed to negotiate with the Afghan government.

However, the talks failed, and by the summer of 2021, US President Joe Biden had been in favor of withdrawing troops by September 11, and the Taliban were occupying one city after another in Afghanistan.Ashraf Ghani said what happened in the end was a "violent occupation, not a political agreement or a political process involving the people."

The day President Ghani left Kabul, the Taliban took control of Kabul. Since then, the country has experienced an economic and humanitarian catastrophe that has been exacerbated by a lack of international assistance.

Three months later, President Ghani says he will take responsibility for some of the reasons for the fall of Kabul, such as "trusting international partners."

"My whole life has been ruined," he said. My values   have been trampled.And I have been made a scapegoat. "