Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani denies leaving Kabul with large sum of cash

Former Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, in a statement given on Wednesday, spoke up about his exit from Afghanistan on Sunday as the Taliban took over the national capital Kabul. Ghani denied reports of him carrying a large sum of money as he left the presidential residence, according to media reports.

 Russian news agency TASS previously reported that Ghani, who fled Afghanistan on a chopper, had to leave some cash behind as the aircraft could not carry anymore load.

“As for the reasons for the collapse of the regime, they are characterised by how Ghani fled the country. Four cars were packed with money, and they tried to cram another bag of cash into the helicopter. Not all the cash managed to squeeze in, and some of the money was left lying on the airfield,” TASS reported, quoting the Russian embassy in Kabul.  

Nikita Ishenko, the spokesperson of the Russian diplomatic mission said, “They tried to put part of the money into a helicopter, but everything did not fit. And some of the money was left on the runway”, according to reports from news agency PTI.

Also Read: Afghan central bank chief flees Kabul, blames Ashraf Ghani for country’s fall

In his statement on Wednesday, Ghani further clarified that he had to exit Afghanistan to prevent any further bloodshed in the country, according to reports from Reuters.

“If I had stayed, I would be witnessing bloodshed in Kabul”, he said in a speech streamed on social media platforms.

Ashraf Ghani, the former President of Afghanistan, said on Wednesday that he will “speak to the nation”, according to reports from AFP.

The news comes hours after United Arab Emirates Foreign Ministry announced that Ghani had been admitted into the gulf country along with his family on humanitarian grounds.

The statement read, “The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the UAE has welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds”, according to reports from CNN.