Never intended to abandon Afghan people: Ashraf Ghani defends decision to flee Kabul

Ousted Afghan president Ashraf Ghani has released another statement to address allegations of corruption and criticism of his decision to flee Kabul in the face of Taliban aggression.

Leaving Kabul was the "most difficult decision" of my life, ousted Afghan president Ashraf Ghani said in a statement on Wednesday. Ghani expressed regret that his "own chapter" ended in tragedy similar to his predecessors and that he had to leave Kabul without ensuring stability and prosperity in Afghanistan. Ashraf Ghani, along with his top ministers, fled Afghanistan as the Taliban marched on Kabul on August 15 of this year. In an initial statement, Ghani had stated that he was 'forced' to leave the country and did so to 'avoid bloodshed'.