Fugitive former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in the United Arab Emirates
Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has sought refuge in the United Arab Emirates.
Mr. Ghani fled Afghanistan as the Taliban entered their capital, Kabul, over the weekend.
The UAE Foreign Ministry said the country welcomed Mr Ghani and his family on humanitarian grounds.
There were rumors that Mr Ghani might flee to Tajikistan. There are also unconfirmed reports that he had large sums of money.
In a Facebook post addressed to Afghans on Sunday, Mr Ghani said he had made a difficult decision to leave to avoid bloodshed in the capital.
However, he has faced strong criticism from other Afghan politicians for leaving the country.
"God will hold him accountable and the nation will decide," said Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation.
However, citing "President Ghani", the United States has said that there is no formal reference to power.
Mr Ghani took office in 2014 and was re-elected in February 2020.
Speaking to the BBC earlier this year, he dismissed fears of a Taliban military victory. "This is not Vietnam," he said. The government is not falling.
This is not the first time a leader has sought refuge in the UAE. Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto lived in exile for several years before being assassinated in her home country in 2007.
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