Oops! US Secretary of State Blinken goofs up, identifies Ashraf Ghani as Hamid Karzai

In a television interview, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken incorrectly referred to deposed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani as Hamid Karzai, who headed Afghanistan's first government after the Taliban were defeated in 2001 and served as president until 2014. In a statement on the evacuations in Afghanistan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken erroneously said that Hamid Karzai departed the nation after the Taliban overthrew the government.

"Rewind a week. The government was deposed. By the way, I was on the phone with President Karzai the day before, and he told me that he intended to fight to the death. "Well, he was gone the following day," Blinken explained in an interview.

He further added: "The military had disintegrated. And in that time, our troops went to the airport, secured it, and moved our embassy to safety at the airport from the diplomatic compound."

The Taliban seized control in Afghanistan last week after taking Kabul, resulting in the extraordinary fall of the US-backed Ashraf Ghani administration. As a result of the Taliban takeover, Ashraf Ghani was compelled to join Afghan nationals and foreigners fleeing the country.

Also Read | Ex-Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani vows to return, says 'Don't trust people who say I betrayed you'

Ashraf Ghani broke his silence in a video message sent days after departing Kabul. The announcement came just hours after the UAE revealed that it had welcomed Ghani and his family on "humanitarian grounds." Speaking from Dubai, Ghani stated that he was in the UAE to "prevent calamities," that he had no intention of living in exile in the Gulf country, and that he was "in discussions" to return home. In a video message broadcast on Facebook, Ashraf Ghani stated that if he had stayed in Kabul, he would have witnessed bloodshed. He also praised Afghan security personnel for their efforts in combating the Taliban.

Also Read | Russia reveals Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled with a car and helicopter full of cash

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• Afghanistan
• Antony Blinken
• Hamid Karzai
• Ashraf Ghani