Afghanistan’s former president Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday blamed the US, Afghan politicians and others for the Taliban’s seizure of power in the country, nearly a year after his army and government collapsed.
During a televised interview with the newly established Afghan Broadcasting Network (ABN), Mr. Ghani specifically targeted Washington’s special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, and various Afghan politicians.
The former president described as “corrupt” and “incompetent” Mr Khalilzad, who signed on behalf of Washington in Doha, the capital of Qatar, the deal with the Taliban that led to the withdrawal of Western troops from the country in 2021.
Mr Ghani fled Kabul as the Taliban entered the country’s capital in August 2021. He now lives in exile in the United Arab Emirates. After his escape, the Taliban seized the presidential palace.
Later, the former president apologized to Afghans, saying he left the country to avoid bloodshed.
He was heavily criticized at home and abroad for leaving the country before there was any political settlement. He continues to consider himself the president of Afghanistan.
Before his government fell, Mr. Ghani assured that he would resist the Taliban to the death. But yesterday he said he had no power when Kabul fell.
He assured that he was the “last one to leave”, so as not to have the “bitter fate of Dr. Najib”. He was referring to former president Mohammad Najibullah, who was assassinated by the Taliban in 1996 when they first occupied Kabul.
He also claimed that the former defense secretary left before him and that the US embassy had already begun the process of evacuating its staff and some members of the Afghan elite forces.
The Taliban seized Kabul and power in Afghanistan after a lightning advance that met little resistance from the Afghan government army. Mr Ghani said in an interview yesterday that his intelligence chief had told him at the time that the Afghan army was not capable of fighting.
SOURCE: AMPE
Source: Capital
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