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

Ghani, whose current whereabouts are still uncertain, is said to be hiding in Oman and might fly out to the US later.

Team Newsable

Bengaluru, First Published Aug 16, 2021, 5:25 PM IST | Last Updated Aug 16, 2021, 5:25 PM IST

The Russian embassy in Kabul said Monday that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country with four cars and a helicopter full of cash and had to leave some money behind as it would not all fit in, the RIA news agency reported.

Ghani, whose current whereabouts are still uncertain, is said to be hiding in Oman and might fly out to the US later.

Russia has announced that its envoy to Afghanistan will meet Taliban leaders in Kabul and determine whether to recognise the new government based on its actions and conduct during the meet. In an interview with a local radio station, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zamir Kabulov stated that our envoy is in touch with Taliban leadership and would meet with the Taliban security coordinator tomorrow.

The meetings between Moscow's envoy, Dmitry Zhirnov, and the Taliban, he claimed, will focus on how the Taliban planned to secure the Russian embassy in Kabul. Kabulov stated that the Russian government will first attentively monitor the new authorities' actions and only then a decision will be made.

"As for the collapse of the (outgoing) regime, it is most eloquently characterised by the way Ghani fled Afghanistan," Nikita Ishchenko, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Kabul, was quoted as saying by RIA.

"Four cars were full of money, they tried to stuff another part of the money into a helicopter, but not all of it fit. And some of the money was left lying on the tarmac," he was quoted as saying.

Ischenko, the Russian embassy spokesman, confirmed his comments to Reuters. He cited "witnesses" as the source of his information. Reuters could not independently confirm the veracity of his account immediately.

President Vladimir Putin's special representative on Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said earlier it was unclear how much money the fleeing government would leave behind.

(With inputs from agency)

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