Ashraf Ghani apologises to Afghans, says he fled to ensure peace

Former president says he left Kabul to avoid risk of bloody street fighting, reiterates denial of stealing millions.

Afghanistan’s former President Ashraf Ghani has said it was never his intent to “abandon the people” as he apologised to Afghans for the way his rule came to an end when he fled the country last month on the same day the Taliban entered the capital, Kabul. In a statement published on Twitter on Wednesday, Ghani said he left on August 15 at the urging of the palace security to avoid the risk of bloody street fighting, and again denied stealing millions from the treasury. “Leaving Kabul was the most difficult decision of my life, but I believed it was the only way to keep the guns silent and save Kabul and her 6 million citizens,” he said.