Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had reason to fear for his life

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Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had reason to fear for his life

Last Updated : 16 Aug 2021 10:19:38 AM IST

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani had a reason to fear that his life was in danger as Taliban forces closed in on Kabul, an analyst told Al Jazeera.

"President Ghani has a real reason to fear that his life was under threat," Asfandyar Mir, an expert at United States institute of peace, told Al Jazeera.

"... many Afghans will be disappointed, the contradiction in his messages until yesterday. The fact that he could not hold the country together politically or put up any kind of a military resistance will disappoint his supporters," he said.

Abdullah Abdullah, head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, has posted a video to Facebook confirming that Ghani has left the country.

He said that Ashraf Ghani left the people of Afghanistan in mess and misery and God will hold him accountable and the country will judge.

He has asked people to keep calm and for the Afghan security forces to cooperate in ensuring security.

Afghan Defence Minister Bismillah Mohammadi, in a tweet apparently referring to Ghani and his associates, lamented that they "Tied our hands behind our backs and sold the homeland, damn the rich man and his gang".

VOA reported Ghani, along with his Vice President and other senior officials, flew out of the country on Sunday, setting the stage for Taliban insurgents to regain power in Afghanistan 20 years after a US-led military invasion ousted them.

There was no comment from Ghani or his embattled administration in Kabul. In a record message on Saturday, Ghani had told the nation he was consulting with both national and international players on the situation which he called an "imposed war".

Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who is said to have accompanied Ghani and the others who left, in a tweet, vowed not to bow to the Taliban, but he did not respond in the message to reports of him leaving the country.

On Sunday morning, a Taliban delegation engaged prominent Afghan jihadi leaders, politicians and elders in negotiations that culminated in Ghani stepping down from office, sources directly aware of the developments told VOA.