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Ghani tells BBC his biggest mistake was trusting foreign partners
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Former President Ashraf Ghani said on Thursday that his biggest mistake had been to trust the United States and Afghanistan’s other foreign partners.
In his first interview since fleeing the country in mid-August, the former president told BBC Radio 4 that leaving Afghanistan had not been planned and that only after takeoff in a helicopter did this course of action become clear.
Ghani has been heavily criticized and accused of abandoning the country but he defended his decision to flee.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) seized power in August after taking control of Kabul – just hours after Ghani fled the country.
Ghani told BBC that when he woke up on 15 August he had “no inkling” it would be his last day in Afghanistan.
In a conversation with General Sir Nick Carter, the UK’s former Chief of the Defence Staff, who was guest-editing BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Thursday, Ghani said IEA fighters had agreed not to enter Kabul – “but two hours later, this was not the case”.
“Two different factions of the Taliban (IEA) were closing in from two different directions,” Ghani said. “And the possibility of a massive conflict between them that would destroy the city of five million and bring havoc to the people was enormous.”
He said he agreed to let his national security adviser and wife leave Kabul, but then the “terrified” chief of presidential security came to him to say that if he took a stand, “they will all be killed”.
“He did not give me more than two minutes,” Ghani said. “My instructions had been to prepare for departure for [the city of] Khost. He told me that Khost had fallen and so had Jalalabad.
“I did not know where we will go. Only when we took off, it became clear that we were leaving [Afghanistan]. So this really was sudden.”
Ghani was widely criticized for having fled the country, also by his vice-president Amrullah Saleh, who called it “disgraceful”.
Many people, who were privy to talks at the time, have said in the past few months that Ghani’s sudden secret departure on 15 August scuppered a deal to secure a more orderly transition.
Ghani, who is living in the UAE, said in conversation that he misread US politics and the situation on the ground at the time.
Allegations of him having taken vast amounts of money also emerged following his departure and just this week was he named as one of the most corrupt people in the world.
Ghani however denied this and said he would welcome an international investigation into the allegations so that he can clear his name.
“I want to categorically state, I did not take any money out of the country,” he said, adding: “My style of life is known to everyone. What would I do with money?”
He did however acknowledge that mistakes were made, including “assuming that the patience of the international community would last”.
However, he pointed to the agreement made between the IEA and the US under then-President Donald Trump, which paved the way for the events leading to 15 August.
“Instead of a peace process, we got a withdrawal process,” Ghani said. The way the deal was done “erased us”, said Ghani.
Ghani said that what happened on August 15 was “a violent coup, not a political agreement, or a political process where the people have been involved”.
The same day Ghani left Kabul, the IEA took control. Since then, the country has been thrown into a humanitarian and economic crisis, exacerbated by the removal of donor support and foreign aid as well as the freezing of over $9 billion of Afghanistan’s foreign reserves.
Four months later, Ghani says he is willing to take the blame for some things which led to the fall of Kabul – like trusting “in our international partnership”.
He told BBC that his “life work has been destroyed. My values had been trampled on. And I have been made a scapegoat.”
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US senator pushes bill to block US funds from reaching Afghanistan
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Republican Senator Tim Sheehy said on Monday night that he is leading efforts to push the No Taxpayer Funding for Terrorists Act in the US Senate, which will prevent American financial aid from reaching Afghanistan.
In a post on X, the Montana senator, who is a former Navy Seal, said: “After fighting terrorists for years in Iraq and Afghanistan, I’m proud to lead the No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act in the U.S. Senate.”
The bill was originally introduced in the House of Representatives by Republican Congressman Tim Burchett to oppose financial and material support from going to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA). The bill was passed during President Joe Biden’s administration but failed to secure Senate approval.
However, on Monday, Congressman Tim Burchett issued a statement saying he will hold a press conference on Tuesday, February 25, on the Act.
He said in Monday’s statement that while working on the bill “it was brought to our attention that weekly cash shipments of around $40 million USD were being sent to the Afghanistan Central Bank.
“Additionally, after a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in December of 2024, Secretary Blinken admitted that around $10 million had been paid to the Taliban (IEA) in the form of taxes.”
He said the bill was “passed unanimously through both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House of Representatives. Unfortunately, then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer refused to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.”
“This legislation has been sat on long enough. We need to move this through both chambers and get it to President Trump’s desk,” said Burchett.
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Torkham remains closed after Pakistan-Afghanistan talks fail
The Pakistani authorities have requested that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) refrain from constructing new facilities along the Durand Line.
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The Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan remained closed on Tuesday after four days of negotiations between officials from the two countries failed to yield results.
Torkham commissioner Abdul Jabbar Hikmat reported that discussions held Monday were chaired by the deputy governor of Nangarhar but ended without any agreement.
The Pakistani authorities have requested that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) refrain from constructing new facilities along the Durand Line.
According to Bakhtar news agency, Pakistan also said Afghanistan should not obstruct Pakistan’s own development projects in the area.
Hikmat confirmed that this request was rejected by the Afghan side, which resulted in Pakistan maintaining its closure of the Torkham gate.
The ongoing closure has left thousands of travelers, including medical patients and commercial convoys stranded on both sides of the border.
Torkham is a key crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan, especially for trucks. Closures of this border crossing result in huge losses for traders as many rely on this route to move fresh produce between the two countries.
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IEA confirms arrest of UK couple and a Chinese-American in Afghanistan
Meanwhile, Britain’s Foreign Office confirmed the detention of the two British nationals adding that the government was supporting their family.
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Afghanistan’s ministry of interior’s spokesman, Abdul Mateen Qani, confirmed Monday night that the Islamic Emirate has detained two Brits, a Chinese-American, and their Afghan translator.
Qani told AFP that “efforts are underway to resolve this issue”.
The two Brits, Peter and Barbie Reynolds, are both in their 70s and were detained in Bamiyan province.
According to their daughter, the couple has lived in Afghanistan for 18 years and stayed on after the IEA regained control.
“Based on certain considerations, the authorities have detained four people: two British citizens holding Afghan papers, one person with Chinese and American nationality and their translator,” Qani told AFP.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Foreign Office confirmed the detention of the two British nationals adding that the government was supporting their family.
“We are supporting the family of two British nationals who are detained in Afghanistan,” a spokesperson said in a statement on Monday.
In a statement reported by the BBC on Monday, Qani said: “A series of considerations are being taken into account, and after evaluation, we will endeavour to release them as soon as possible.”
Qani added the three foreign nationals had Afghan passports and national ID cards.
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