Amid rising tensions in Afghanistan, President Ashraf Ghani said that he had fled the country on Sunday as he thought it was best to “get out” to “prevent a flood of bloodshed”, as the Taliban took control of the presidential palace in capital Kabul on Sunday.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Ghani said “Today, I came across a hard choice; I should stand to face the armed Taliban who wanted to enter the palace or leave the dear country (Afghanistan) that I dedicated my life to protecting and protecting the past twenty years.”

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He believed “countless patriots would be martyred and the city of Kabul would be destroyed” if he had stayed behind.

“The Taliban have won… and are now responsible for the honour, property and self-preservation of their countrymen,” he added, according to AFP reports.

“They are now facing a new historical test. Either they will preserve the name and honour of Afghanistan or they will give priority to other places and networks,” he added.

However, the President pledged, “I will always continue to serve my nation.” He did not say where he had travelled to, but leading Afghan media group Tolo news suggested he had gone to Tajikistan.

Following his drastic step, Afghanistan’s Minister of Defense slammed Ghani for fleeing the country.

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

Earlier, Abdullah Abdullah, who heads the peace process, had accused Ghani of “leaving the people to this situation”.

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