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Ghani tells BBC his biggest mistake was trusting foreign partners

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Last Updated on: May 2, 2023

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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Fitrat says Pakistan’s attacks on Afghanistan have always been met with a response

He also stressed that the Islamic Emirate remains committed to preventing Afghan territory from being used to threaten the security of any other country.

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The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Fasihuddin Fitrat, has described Pakistan’s recent cross-Durand Line attacks as “unacceptable,” saying that none of Islamabad’s military actions against Afghanistan have gone unanswered.

Speaking on the issue, Fitrat accused Pakistan of repeatedly targeting civilian areas during its operations, while claiming that the Islamic Emirate’s retaliatory actions have not resulted in civilian casualties.

Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have remained high in recent years, with both sides exchanging accusations over cross-Durand Line security incidents and the presence of militant groups operating along their shared frontier. Pakistan has repeatedly alleged that members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are using Afghan territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan, an accusation the Islamic Emirate has consistently denied.

Reiterating that position, Fitrat dismissed Pakistan’s allegations as baseless and insisted that no TTP fighters are present in Afghanistan.

He also stressed that the Islamic Emirate remains committed to preventing Afghan territory from being used to threaten the security of any other country.

“The Islamic Emirate will not allow any country or group to use Afghanistan’s soil against another nation,” Fitrat said, adding that safeguarding the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security remains a top priority.

The latest remarks come amid continued strains in relations between Kabul and Islamabad, despite repeated calls from both sides for dialogue and improved border security cooperation.

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Pakistan clears 26 WFP aid containers for Afghanistan through Torkham crossing

According to Khan, the Islamic Emirate had previously informed the United Nations that its humanitarian shipments would be permitted to enter Afghanistan through Torkham.

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Pakistan has authorised the movement of 26 World Food Programme (WFP) containers carrying food and humanitarian supplies into Afghanistan via the Torkham crossing.

Customs officials issued gate passes for the convoy late on Monday after completing the required clearance procedures. The containers had remained at the Torkham import terminal for several hours while authorities awaited final approval from senior officials.

According to customs clearing agents, the convoy was cleared after electronic scanning and other formalities were completed. Officials also indicated that all vehicles that had finished the required procedures would be allowed to continue into Afghanistan on Tuesday.

The shipment is carrying food and other essential relief items as part of the WFP’s ongoing humanitarian assistance program for Afghanistan.

The Torkham crossing, one of the main transit routes linking Pakistan and Afghanistan, has remained closed to regular commercial traffic since October 2025 because of heightened security concerns.

Pakistani journalist Tahir Khan reported that United Nations humanitarian convoys have now started moving into Afghanistan through Torkham. He said around 20 trucks loaded with relief supplies, including cooking oil and biscuits, have already entered the country, while more than 50 aid trucks are expected to make the journey.

According to Khan, the Islamic Emirate had previously informed the United Nations that its humanitarian shipments would be permitted to enter Afghanistan through Torkham.

He also cited remarks by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, who announced that UN aid convoys would be allowed to begin transiting through the crossing from July 14.

The Islamic Emirate has not yet issued an official statement on the reported arrival of the humanitarian convoy.

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India donates family tents to support returning Afghan refugees

India said the latest assistance reflects its continued commitment to supporting the Afghan people through humanitarian aid and cooperation with Afghan institutions.

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India has donated a consignment of family tents to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation to help provide emergency shelter for returning Afghan refugees, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced.

According to the ministry, the tents are intended to support the shelter, rehabilitation and reintegration of returnees by addressing their immediate housing needs as they resettle in Afghanistan.

The donation comes at a time when Afghanistan is experiencing a sharp increase in the number of returning refugees, particularly from neighbouring countries. Since late 2023, hundreds of thousands of Afghans have returned to the country following deportation and repatriation drives, placing additional pressure on already stretched humanitarian resources and public services.

Many of the returnees arrive with few possessions and require emergency assistance, including temporary shelter, food, healthcare and access to basic services. Aid agencies have repeatedly warned that Afghanistan’s fragile economy and ongoing humanitarian crisis have made it increasingly difficult to absorb the growing number of returnees.

India said the latest assistance reflects its continued commitment to supporting the Afghan people through humanitarian aid and cooperation with Afghan institutions.

New Delhi has remained engaged in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan since the Islamic Emirate returned to power in 2021. India has supplied wheat, medicines, vaccines, earthquake relief, and other essential humanitarian assistance, while continuing to support projects aimed at improving the welfare of the Afghan people.

The Ministry of External Affairs said the donation underscores India’s commitment to helping vulnerable communities and supporting Afghanistan’s humanitarian and recovery efforts.

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