Left Afghanistan to avoid bloodshed: Ghani as Taliban seizes control of presidential palace

Dushanbe [Tajikistan], August 16 (ANI): Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday said he left the country in order to avoid “bloodshed” as Kabul fell to the Taliban and terrorists entered the Afghanistan presidential palace.

In his first comments after he left Afghanistan, Ghani, in a Facebook post, said that from now on, the Taliban will be responsible for the “honour, wealth and preservation” of Afghanistan’s people. Ghani said he was faced with a “hard choice” between the “armed Taliban” or “leaving the dear country that I dedicated my life to protecting the past 20 years”.

He added that the terrorist group had won a “trial of sword and guns”, but could not win the hearts of the Afghan people. “If left unchecked, countless patriots would be martyred and the city of Kabul would be devastated, resulting in a major humanitarian catastrophe in the six-million-strong city,” he said. Afghanistan government has collapsed earlier in the day with President Ashraf Ghani leaving the country and the Taliban’s entry into the capital, the New York Times reported.

Earlier in the day, the Chairman of the Afghanistan Supreme National Reconciliation Council, Abdullah Abdullah in a video message posted on Twitter, addressed Ghani as the “former President” of Afghanistan. Abdullah also called on Afghans to remain calm and said, “hope this ‘hard day and night’ will pass soon and people will see peaceful days.” Earlier, there are negotiations going on in the Afghan Presidential Palace ARG to transfer power to the Taliban with Ali Ahamd Jalali as head of the new interim government on Sunday, according to the sources.

Taliban terrorists are assuming control of the Afghan capital of Kabul and have taken control of the presidential palace after the country’s president Ashraf Ghani fled to Tajikistan. Reports suggest that the movement will soon proclaim the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Afghanistan former President Hamid Karzai along with Abdullah Abdullah and former Mujahideen leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar have formed a Coordination Council in order to prevent chaos and manage affairs related to a peaceful transfer of power.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Sunday said that Taliban terrorists have been asked to enter the capital city of Kabul.

Mujahid, in an interview with Tolo News, also said that the security situation will remain under control in the city. (ANI)