'Taliban Facing Historical Test': Afghan President's 1st Statement After Fleeing

President Ashraf Ghani, who fled to Tajikistan, said that he left Afghanistan in order to avoid bloodshed.

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday, 15 August, tendered his resignation, hours after Taliban forces reportedly entered the outskirts of the capital Kabul.

(Photo: Erum Gour/The Quint)

President Ashraf Ghani, who had fled to Tajikistan on Sunday, 15 August, as the Taliban reached Kabul for a transfer of power, said that he left Afghanistan in order to avoid violence and bloodshed.

In his first statement since the terror organisation took over the presidential palace in Afghanistan, Ghani said, "The Taliban have made it to remove me; they are here to attack all Kabul and the people of Kabul. In order to avoid the bleeding flood, I thought it was best to get out."

"Taliban have won the judgement of sword and guns and now they are responsible for protecting the countrymen's honor, wealth and self-esteem, he said in the statement posted on Facebook, adding, "Never in history has dry power given legitimacy to anyone and won't give it to them."

"They are now facing a new historical test; either they will protect the name and honor of Afghanistan or they will prioritize other places and networks. Many people and many Aqshar are in fear and are unreliable in the future. It is necessary for Taliban to assure all the people, nations, different sectors, sisters and women of Afghanistan to win the legitimacy and the hearts of the people."

President Ashraf Ghani

Exhorting the Taliban to make a clear plan for the country and to share it with the public, President Ghani emphasised that he would always continue to serve the nation.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Taliban’s political office on Sunday had declared the war in Afghanistan was over, and called for peaceful relations with the international community.

On Sunday, Taliban commanders had said that they had taken control of the Afghan Presidential Palace, news agency Reuters reported, hours after Taliban fighters entered Kabul.