According to the Russian Embassy in Kabul, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country in four cars and a helicopter with cash. In fact, he was forced to leave some of the money because not everyone could fit, the Russian news agency RIA reported.
Ghani, whose whereabouts are unknown at the time, said he left Afghanistan on Sunday as the Taliban entered the city with little resistance. He added that he wanted to avoid bloodshed.
Russia has said it will maintain a diplomatic presence in Kabul and hopes to develop relations with the Taliban, although it says it is in no hurry to recognize them as the country’s rulers and will closely monitor their behavior.
“As for the collapse of the (passing) regime, it is eloquently described by Ghana’s escape from Afghanistan,” said Nikita Istchenko, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Kabul.
Taliban searching inside the house of Mashal Rashid Dostum after the fall of Mazar e Shaif. #AfghanistanBurningpic.twitter.com/xCpAl80tY1
— Jaffar Khan kakar (@jaffar_bazai) August 14, 2021
“Four cars were full of money, they tried to load the helicopter with the rest of the money, but not all of them got in. “And some of the money remained on the runway at the airport,” he said.
Istchenko, a spokesman for the Russian embassy, confirmed the allegations to Reuters. He cited “eyewitnesses” as a source of information.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said earlier that it was unclear how much money the ousted government would leave behind.
“I hope that the fleeing government did not receive all the money from the state budget. “If something remains, it will be the basis of the budget,” Kabuliv told Moscow’s Echo radio station.