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Ashraf Ghani fled Kabul Sunday for Tajikistan after Taliban militants entered the Afghan capital unopposed.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled the country to prevent further violence in Afghanistan, was escorted with cars filled with cash, a Russian Embassy spokesman told Sputnik Monday. Ghani reportedly left Kabul for Tajikistan, although his current location and status remain unknown.
Russian diplomatic mission spokesperson Nikita Ishenko said: "As for the collapse of the regime, it is most eloquently characterized by the way Ghani fled from Afghanistan: four cars were full of money, they tried to put part of the money into a helicopter, but everything did not fit. And some of the money was left on the runway."
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Russia's special presidential representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov told the press that the seizure of Kabul was unexpected and that Russia, along with other countries, had overrated the Afghan Armed Forces.
Kabulov pointed out that "it came as a surprise to a certain extent, as we were guided by the understanding that the Afghan Army, whatever it may be, will still resist for some time."
He stressed that Moscow would not make any hasty decisions regarding the formal recognition of the new Afghan government, adding that the Taliban will remain on the country's list of terrorist organizations for the time being.
"I felt really sad this time that he [Ashraf Ghani] did such a thing and surrendered Afghanistan to the Taliban."
— TRT World (@trtworld) August 16, 2021
President Ashraf Ghani's sudden decision to flee Afghanistan and hand over the country to the Taliban has sparked outrage among many Afghans pic.twitter.com/DFXoTqGIC0
Kabulov stated that it should be the United Nations Security Council to initiate the relevant designatory procedure.
Ashraf Ghani fled the country shortly after the Taliban entered Kabul without a fight on Sunday, explaining that he did so to avoid bloodshed.
Ghani stated that militant group might have won the "trial of sword and guns" but has yet to win the hearts of the Afghan people.
Ghani argued in a post published on his Facebook page: "Never in history has raw power given legitimacy to anyone and never will. [The Taliban] are now facing a new historic test: either they will protect the name and honor of Afghanistan, or they will prioritize other places and networks."
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