KABUL – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has left the country as Taliban raced towards full control of Afghanistan and reached at the gates of Kabul.
According to Afghan media reports, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has left the country along with his team surrendering Kabul to Taliban.
President Ashraf Ghani has left the capital Kabul for Tajikistan, a senior Afghan Interior Ministry official said on Sunday.
“The former Afghan president has left the nation,” Abdullah Abdullah, who heads the peace process, said in a video on his Facebook page.
“God hold him accountable, and the people will have their judgement.”
Ashraf Ghani s resignation
Afghan media claimed that the issue of President Ashraf Ghani s resignation has been settled. Ghani will resign after reaching an agreement on the formation of an interim government. An Afghan government delegation will travel to Doha for talks with the Taliban. The delegation will include Younis Qanuni, Ahmad Wali Masood and Muhammad Mohaqiq.
It may be recalled that today, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani released a video message to the nation on a social networking site in which he said that anyone who thinks of looting or anarchy should be dealt with by force adding we will do our best because it is our responsibility.
Taliban want peaceful transfer of power in next few days : spokesman
The Taliban want to take control of Afghanistan “in the next few days”, a spokesman for the group told the BBC Sunday, as their fighters encircled the capital.
“In next few days, we want a peaceful transfer,” Suhail Shaheen, based in Qatar as part of the group s negotiating team, told the BBC.
Shaheen laid out the policies of the Taliban ahead of an expected power transfer that would re-install the hardline Islamic group two decades after US-led forces toppled them in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
“We want an inclusive Islamic government… that means all Afghans will be part of that government,” Shaheen said.
“We will see that in the future as the peaceful transfer is taking place.”
He also said foreign embassies and workers would not be targeted by the group s fighters and they should remain in the country.
“There will be no risk to diplomats, NGOs, to anyone. All should continue their work as they were continuing in the past. They won t harm them, they should remain.”
Rebuffing fears the country would be plunged back to the dark days of the group s ultra-conservative version of Islamic law, Shaheen said the Taliban will instead seek a “new chapter” of tolerance.
