Afghanistan’s Minister of Defense has slammed President Ashraf Ghani and “his gang” for fleeing the country as Taliban besieged capital city Kabul on Sunday.

Footage showed Ghani, who has reportedly resigned from his post, boarding a plane for Tajikistan as Taliban insurgents remained camped on the city’s outskirts amid talks with government officials at the Presidential Palace.

“They tied our hands from behind and sold the country,” General Bismillah Mohammadi tweeted. “Curse Ghani and his gang.”

Also Read: Iran, Albania to temporarily house Afghan refugees fleeing Taliban

Afghanistan Minister of Interior General Abdul Satar Mirzakwal said the talks were being held for a “peaceful transfer of power” to a “transitional government.”

The president’s office refused to comment on his movement for “security reasons,” Reuters reported.

Also Read: More than 550,000 people have fled their homes in Afghanistan: UNHCR

On Saturday, Ghani had sought to allay concerns about Kabul’s fate with a televised address about “re-mobilising” the military and seeking a “political solution” to the crisis.

Former Afghan lawmaker Jamil Karzai , who landed in New Delhi on Sunday evening, accused Ghani of being a “traitor” and a “sellout.”

Also Read: How the Taliban seized, lost and regained Afghanistan

According to video posted online by Afghanistan’s ambassador to Sri Lanka, General Mohammadi claimed that Kabul was “safe” and urged residents not to panic.

Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation confirmed that “former president” Ghani has left the country.

“The security of Kabul is the responsibility of the security forces,” he was quoted as saying.

Afghanistan’s ToloNews reported that Ghani’s close aides had also fled the country.

Earlier, Ghani in a video posted online said he remained in Kabul. Surrounded by his three young daughters, Ghani said his goverment was “trying to solve the issue of Afghanistan with the Taliban leadership peacefully”.

Meanwhile, the country’s former President Hamid Karzai assured in a message that he will stay in the country and urged others to do the same. Karzai said he was “working to resolve issues through dialogue.”