Afghanistan: President Ashraf Ghani Flees Country, Taliban Now Command Presidential Palace In Kabul, To Form Interim Govt

“In order to avoid the bleeding flood, I thought it was best to get out,” said Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani to his countrymen. Taliban were in control of Afghanistan on August 16 after President Ghani fled the country. Ghani conceded the insurgents had won the 20-year war. President Ghani fled on August 15 as the terror group surrounded Kabul. Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar also announced his movement's victory, reported AFP. Amrullah Saleh, the first Vice President of Afghanistan tweeted, “In my soil. With the people. For a cause & purpose. With solid belief in righteousness.” This surprisingly sudden collapse of the government & the takeover of the presidential palace by the terror group on August 15, led to fear and panic in the capital. Thousands of people were on August 16 trying to escape Kabul. The United States had sent around 6,000 troops to the airport to fly out embassy officials and also Afghan nationals who assisted the US as interpreters or in other support roles. Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General, urged the Taliban and all parties to "exercise restraint". Watch the video to know more.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 16, 2021 02:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).