Ashraf Ghani does not consider himself a traitor, blames politicians for taking over Taliban
Dubai, Aug 19 (IANS) | Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has vowed to return to Kabul. He fled the country after the Taliban entered Kabul. Ghani made the statement during a live Facebook broadcast from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday night. “I am in the (UAE) emirate, but I will return to my country soon,” he said.
He said he is consulting with others before returning home. Ghani said he would continue to work to achieve justice for the Afghans. “I was forced to leave Kabul, I did not want to cause bloodshed in the capital,” Ghani said. He responded to critics, saying, “Those who think I’ve run away shouldn’t judge me, because they don’t know all the details.”
The former president underlined that he does not consider himself a traitor. “I didn’t betray the country. We wanted peace for Kabul and didn’t want to destroy it. I hope the war in Afghanistan will end,” he said. “Our armed forces are not responsible for this failure, politicians are to blame,” he said. Ghani also emphasized that he is in talks with the Taliban to ensure the security of Kabul and the peaceful transfer of power.
On August 15, Ghani had left Afghanistan several hours before the Taliban entered Kabul without a fight and established full control of the capital. Vice President Amrullah Saleh has declared himself acting president in accordance with the national constitution and called for armed resistance against the Taliban in the president’s absence. On the other hand, Western countries are evacuating their citizens and embassy staff from Afghanistan.