The Western-backed former Afghan leader, Ashraf Ghani, departed his country with so much money that it couldn’t all fit on his helicopter, and he was forced to leave some cash at the airport, the Russian Embassy in Kabul has said.
The former Afghan president, who relinquished power to the Taliban in Kabul on Sunday, reportedly escaped the city with enormous quantities of money and other loot, provoking accusations of grift and betrayal.
Speaking to RIA Novosti, its spokesman Nikita Ishchenko dubbed Ghani’s escape an “eloquent characterization” of the fall of the “regime.”
“Four cars were stuffed with money. [They] tried to fit all the money on the helicopter, but not all of it fit. Some of the money was left lying on the tarmac,” he explained, without elaborating how he obtained the information.
Speaking to RIA Novosti, its spokesman Nikita Ishchenko dubbed Ghani’s escape an “eloquent characterization” of the fall of the “regime.”
The situation in Afghanistan has intensified in the past few weeks. On Sunday, Taliban militants entered the capital, Kabul, and declared that they had taken control of the entire country. The group is recognized in Russia as a terrorist organization.
On the same day, Ghani fled the country, claiming that he had resigned and escaped to prevent any bloodshed in the capital. According to initial reports, he was flown to Tajikistan.
On Monday, Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem declared that the war in Afghanistan was over and called for peace.
The Taliban’s victory came after the US decided to withdraw its troops from the country. In April, US President Joe Biden declared that he had decided to end the operation in Afghanistan – the most protracted foreign military campaign in US history. All troops were scheduled to leave by September 11, almost 20 years after the war began.