Afghanistan: “Taliban have won” – Ghani

In a Facebook post on Sunday and hours after fleeing the country Ashraf Ghani finally broke his silence. In a heartfelt message he addressed the nation and said he was faced with a tough choice and “[he] will always continue to serve [his] people in terms of ideas and programs.”

Ghani to resign before Monday

Acknowledging defeat and resigning (proving The Conservative’s sources right), he claimed to have left in order to avoid the bloodshed that would have swallowed Kabul, a city that houses over 60 million people. “If left unchecked, countless patriots would be martyred and the city of Kabul would be devastated, resulting in a major humanitarian catastrophe in the six-million-strong city,” he said.

According to Ghani the Taliban had made it clear that they would invade Kabul in order to remove him, after he had refused to resign. “Taliban had made it clear that they were ready to carry out a bloody attack on all of Kabul and the people of Kabul Sharif to oust me. In order to prevent a flood of bloodshed, I decided to leave,” he added.

Ghani’s departure from the country was criticized by his own government officials and he was dubbed as a “coward.” He has now held the Taliban responsible for the protection of the Afghan people.

The Taliban took control by force, according to Ghani they did not win the “legitimacy and hearts of the people,” and “never in history has force given legitimacy to anyone and never will,” he added.

The Taliban are also facing a “new historic test” and it is up to them to “preserve the name and honor of Afghanistan or give priority to other places and networks,” he said. Many people are in fear and “have no faith” in the future and the Taliban must ensure the protection of such people, women and ethnicities if they “plan to win legitimacy and win the hearts of the people,” he added.

Fleeing was a tough choice for Ghani and the Taliban are now in power. All eyes are on them, if they agree to the formation of an interim government and sit with the warlords, their enemies to draft a new constitution, or they go in solo and crush all opposition. Thus, giving birth to a new state that fights for its survival against armed militias. Enter Afghanistan 2.0?