ISLAMABAD –
On the eve of the anniversary of the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, Afghanistan’s former president on Sunday defended what he said was a split-second decision to flee, saying he wanted to avoid the humiliation of surrendering to insurgents.
Ashraf Ghani also told CNN that on the morning of August 15, 2021, with the Taliban at the gates of the Afghan capital, he was the last to arrive at the presidential palace after his guards disappeared. He said the defense minister told him earlier that day that Kabul could not be defended.
Ghani had previously tried to justify his actions the day Kabul fell, but offered more details on Sunday. He alleged that one of the palace cooks had been offered $100,000 to poison him and that he felt his immediate surroundings were no longer safe.
“The reason I left was because I didn’t want to give the Taliban and their supporters the pleasure of once again humiliating an Afghan president and making him sign off on the legitimacy of the government,” he said. “I have never been afraid.”
Critics say Ghani’s sudden and secret departure on August 15 left the city aimless as US and NATO forces were in the final stages of their chaotic withdrawal from the country after 20 years.
Ghani also denied persistent accusations that he took tens of millions of dollars in cash with him as he and other officials fled in helicopters.
In a report issued last week, a congressional watchdog said it was unlikely that Ghani and his top aides transported so much money in the getaway helicopters.
“The hurried nature of their departure, the emphasis on passengers over cargo, payload and helicopter performance limitations, and the consistent alignment on detailed accounts from witnesses on the ground and in the air suggest there was little over $500,000 in cash on board the helicopters,” wrote the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, which has sought to monitor massive US spending in the country over the years.
The agency added that “it remains a strong possibility that significant amounts of US currency went missing from Afghan government property in the chaos of the Taliban takeover, including millions from the presidential palace” and the National Directorate vault. of security. However, the report says the watchdog was unable to determine how much money was stolen and who stole it.
In the end, the Taliban took the capital without significant fighting last August, capping a week-long military bombardment in which they quickly captured provincial capitals without much resistance from increasingly demoralized Afghan security forces.
In the year since taking power, former insurgents have placed significant restrictions on girls and women, limiting their access to education and work, despite initial promises to the contrary. The Taliban have remained internationally isolated and largely insulated from the flow of international aid enjoyed by the Ghani government. The Taliban have struggled to govern and stop the sharp economic decline that has pushed millions more Afghans into poverty and even starvation.
Despite those challenges, the Taliban-led government planned several events on Monday to mark the anniversary, including speeches by Taliban officials and various sporting events.