-Abu Dhabi says hosting Ashraf Ghani, his family on humanitarian grounds
-Interpol urged arresting Ghani for stealing public wealth
Middle East Desk
Report
DUBAI: Escaped Ex-President of Afghanistan Dr. Ashraf Ghani finally secured political asylum in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on humanitarian grounds. The Emirates said on Wednesday that it had “welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds”.
It remained unclear whether Ghani flew directly to the UAE or was at another location since he left Kabul on Sunday, just as the Taliban approached Kabul.
The statement carried by the UAE’s state-run WAM news agency on Wednesday did not say where Ghani was in the country. It quoted the country’s Foreign Ministry in a one-sentence statement.
At the time of fleeing the country on Sunday, Ghani had said he was leaving to “prevent a flood of bloodshed”, as the Taliban entered the capital, capping a lightning offensive across the country. Ghani had said 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 said.
“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 had added. Initially he did not say where he had travelled to, but leading Afghan media group Tolo News suggested he had gone to Tajikistan.
Meanwhile, The Afghanistan embassy in Tajikistan has demanded Interpol police to arrest former president Ashraf Ghani and his aides who fled the country after the collapse of their government as the Taliban seized control of Kabul. The Afghanistan embassy in Tajikistan has asked Interpol police to detain Ashraf Ghani, Hamdallah Mohib and Fazal Mahmood Fazli on charges of stealing public wealth.
