Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

FILE - In this March 6, 2021 record photo, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, center, inspects an grant defender during the opening ceremonial of the caller legislative league of the Parliament, successful Kabul, Afghanistan. Afghanistans embattled president near the state Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021, joining his chap citizens and foreigners successful a stampede fleeing the advancing Taliban and signaling the extremity of a 20-year Western experimentation aimed astatine remaking Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)

MOSCOW – The Russian embassy successful Kabul alleged Monday that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has fled from Kabul with 4 cars and a chopper afloat of cash, Russia’s authorities quality bureau RIA Novosti reported.

The study quoted embassy spokesperson Nikita Ishchenko arsenic saying that “the illness of the authorities ... is astir eloquently characterized by however Ghani escaped from Afghanistan: 4 cars were filled with money, they tried to shove different portion of the wealth into a helicopter, but not everything fit. And immoderate of the wealth was near lying connected the tarmac.”

Asked by The Associated Press astir however helium knew the details of Ghani's departure, Ishchenko said “well, we are moving here,” without offering immoderate much details. The AP couldn’t independently verify his claims.

Ghani near Kabul connected Sunday arsenic the Taliban swept into the Afghan capital. Media reports suggested that the president went to the neighboring Tajikistan oregon Uzbekistan, but determination was nary authoritative confirmation of his whereabouts.

Ad

Kremlin envoy connected Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov connected Monday described Ghani’s formation from Kabul arsenic “disgraceful,” adding that Ghani “deserves to beryllium brought to justness and held accountable by the Afghan people.”

Russia's ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov told the Ekho Moskvy vigor presumption that, judging by the archetypal 24 hours of the Taliban's power of the Afghan capital, “right present the concern successful Kabul is amended than it was nether Ashraf Ghani.” “Under the violent Taliban it's amended than nether Ghani,” Zhirnov said.

Moscow's disapproval of Ghani, whose authorities had the enactment of Washington, comes astatine a clip of heightened tensions betwixt Russia and the United States.

Moscow fought a 10-year warfare successful Afghanistan that ended with Soviet troops’ withdrawal successful 1989 and has made a diplomatic comeback arsenic a mediator, reaching retired to feuding Afghan factions arsenic it has jockeyed with the U.S. for power successful the country.

Ad

It has hosted respective rounds of talks connected Afghanistan, astir precocious successful March, that progressive the Taliban — adjacent though Russia has labeled them a violent organization.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.