Decision to flee Kabul made in 'minutes', says former Afghan president Ghani

Ashraf Ghani said his national security adviser did not give him "more than two minutes" before fleeing Kabul on the day of the Taliban takeover.

Former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani on Thursday described fleeing the Taliban's victory march on Kabul, saying the decision had been taken in "minutes" and that he did not know he was leaving the country until he was taking off.

Ghani told BBC's Radio 4 "Today" programme that on the morning of August 15, 2021, the day the Islamists took control of the capital and his own government fell apart, he had "no inkling" that it would be his last day in Afghanistan.