President Ghani leaves Afghanistan, top official confirms, as US-backed govt relinquishes power to Taliban

15.08.2021 14:29

President Ghani leaves Afghanistan, top official confirms, as US-backed govt relinquishes power to Taliban
Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani addresses the nation in a message in Kabul, Afghanistan August 14, 2021. © Afghan Presidential Palace/Handout via REUTERS

President Ashraf Ghani has left Afghanistan, paving the way for the Taliban to take control of the country after the militant group marched on Kabul, senior official Abdullah Abdullah has confirmed.

Ghani fled the Afghan capital on Sunday, following a stunning Taliban offensive that ended at the gates of Kabul. Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, said that “he left Afghanistan in a hard time, God hold him accountable.”

The militants called for negotiations, after claiming they wanted to avoid a battle that could cost civilian lives. The president left the country accompanied by his “close aides,” TOLO, an Afghan news channel, reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

A source told Russia’s RIA-Novosti news agency that Ghani had fled to Tajikistan and would soon travel from there to a third country.