Ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani appears in UAE

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani who fled his country as Taliban militants seized power, is now in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the UAE government has confirmed.

“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,” the UAE’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Mr Ghani left Afghanistan on Sunday evening, with no clear indication on where he was going. But as he vacated the presidential palace, he said he was fleeing to avoid bloodshed.
“The Taliban have won with the judgment of their swords and guns, and are now responsible for the honor, property and self-preservation of their countrymen,” Mr Ghani said.

Kabul fell to the militants after twenty years of grinding and nebulously defined combat.
Less than 24 hours after the Taliban took over, chaos erupted at Kabul’s international airport as thousands of Afghans raced to flee the country.

Saudi Arabia and other gulf countries have urged the Taliban to preserve lives, property and security as stipulated by “Islamic principles.”
The Taliban also said that rights will be protected within the “framework of Islamic law.”

The United States has said it “squarely stands” by its decision to withdraw American troops with President Joe Biden saying he could not justify an “endless American presence in the middle of another country’s civil conflict.”