(CNN) – Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani released a video statement from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday, saying his “main goal” for his country’s citizens was to keep the peace and prevent bloodshed.
“My overall commitment to my countrymen is to avoid bloodshed and to ensure peace, stability and development in Afghanistan,” Ghani said in a video message shared on his Facebook page.
“I do not want bloodshed in Kabul like there was in Syria and Yemen. So I decided to go and leave Kabul,” he said.
“If I had been president of Afghanistan it would have been decided that what happened 25 years ago would have happened again. I would have hung in front of the eyes of the people of Afghanistan, which would have been a disaster in our history,” he added.
The former president said he hoped “Afghanistan will overcome this in the days and nights to come and enjoy peace and stability.”
The former president of Afghanistan is currently in the United Arab Emirates, his foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. News of his whereabouts comes just days after he fled Kabul as the Taliban surrounded the city.
“The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the United Arab Emirates has President Ashraf Ghani and his family in the country for humanitarian reasons,” the ministry said.
Said Kani In a Facebook post On Sunday, after leaving Afghanistan, he left to avoid bloodshed.
The Taliban are now facing a “new historical test” that “protects the name and honor of Afghanistan or prioritizes other locations and networks.”
“In order to win the legitimacy and the heart of the people, the Taliban must provide guarantees to all people, tribes, different sects, sisters and women in Afghanistan and they must create clear plans and share them with the public,” Gani wrote.
Criticism after Ghani’s withdrawal from Afghanistan
His departure was accelerated by the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which opened a clear path for the Taliban to confront and defeat the Afghan security forces. Last week, major cities and provinces had little resistance to Taliban militants.
U.S. intelligence analysts They predicted It took several weeks for Kabul’s civilian government to fall into the hands of the Taliban. But on August 15, the Taliban seized control of the presidential palace in the capital.
Fruit Criticized For leaving Afghanistan with an uncertain fate under the Taliban.
Afghanistan’s then-Defense Minister General Bismillah Mohammed criticized Khan in a small tweet on Sunday: “They tied our hands behind our backs and sold the homeland, insulting the rich and his gang.”
Moderate Taliban?
Through television presentations, reports and press conferences, Taliban officials sought to strike a mild tone by providing details of their new government.
Tuesday, They promised no retaliation And no property will be confiscated. They also said that women would be allowed to work and study under Islamic law.
But his initial promises are weakened by his response to the protests.
In the eastern city of Jalalabad, three witnesses told CNN that Taliban militants violently clashed with protesters, removing the group’s flag from the main square and changing the Afghan flag.
In response, the Taliban opened fire on the crowd and attacked some protesters.
“I wanted to support the Afghan flag and prevent the Taliban from insulting it,” one protester said. “Then the shooting started and the Taliban surrounded me and threatened me,” he added.
CNN could not independently confirm any casualties and the Taliban did not comment on the incident.
CNN’s Vasco da Gama contributed to the report.
