Afghanistan’s deposed president Ashraf Ghani defended his decision to leave the country as the Taliban seized power, saying his life was in imminent danger and he is in talks to return.
Resurfacing in the United Arab Emirates after days of speculation over his whereabouts, Ghani said in a video posted on Facebook on Wednesday night that he fled to avoid chaos as Taliban fighters swooped into Kabul over the weekend and toppled his government.
“I had to leave Afghanistan in order to prevent bloodshed, in order to make sure that a huge disaster is prevented,” Ghani said, according to a translation provided by Al Jazeera. “I’m in consultation with others to return so that I can continue my efforts for justice.”
The ousted president has been criticised by members of his erstwhile government, who have accused him of betrayal and allowing the Taliban to take over Afghanistan in the wake of the US troop withdrawal.
Ghani was also accused of looting Afghan coffers as he left, including allegations that he fled with a helicopter full of cash. He called the allegations “baseless lies” and said he left with only one change of clothes.
More on the fall of Afghanistan:
Afghanistan faces ‘dire’ financial outlook, warns former central bank chief
Here is a portrait of the final moments of freedom in Afghanistan that the world now knows is over.
Mistrust and mysterious surrenders: how Kabul fell to the Taliban.
How did America find itself fighting the last war — again?
Boris Johnson faces anger of MPs over UK response to Afghanistan. If Johnson is to play a convening role on the world stage, he must lead by example when it comes to both allies and refugees, writes Robert Shrimsley.
The FT View: The US withdrawal delivers a blow to Nato and Europe.
What questions do you have about the Taliban’s rise to power? FT journalists may address them in our upcoming webinar with US defence correspondent Katrina Manson, Asia companies and markets editor Stephanie Findlay and US managing editor Peter Spiegel. Register here for The Fall of Afghanistan: What’s Next on August 25. Thanks for reading.
Five more stories in the news
1. Exclusive: CME in $16bn bid for Chicago exchange rival CME Group has approached Cboe Global Markets about an all-share deal to acquire the owner of the Vix volatility indices for nearly $16bn.
2. Goldman Sachs to buy European asset manager The bank’s asset management unit has agreed to buy Dutch insurer NN Group’s investment management arm for about €1.6bn, marking the Wall Street lender’s largest acquisition since David Solomon became chief executive in 2018.
3. US consumers flock to the shops despite spread of Delta variant Walmart, Target and Lowe’s all lifted sales forecasts this week after beating expectations for the three months to the end of July. Party supplies, apparel and travel gear flew off Walmart’s shelves. At Home Depot, an early cache of Halloween decorations sold out almost immediately.
4. Binance crypto traders line up $5m for legal challenge Traders pursuing Binance for compensation over an outage during crypto market turmoil earlier this year have secured financial backing to wage one of the most significant legal battles to date against the exchange.
5. Millions of T-Mobile customers’ data leaked The personal information of almost 50m people has been “stolen” from T-Mobile US in the latest high-profile data breach in recent years. The mobile telecoms group said the “highly sophisticated cyber attack” resulted in personal details of its current, former and potential customers being taken.
Coronavirus digest
A rise in vaccinated people becoming infected with coronavirus has cast doubt over the lasting efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines, according to new studies.
A majority of Federal Reserve officials believe that the US central bank could start withdrawing its pandemic stimulus programme later this year.
The Biden administration is set to begin offering Americans third doses of mRNA vaccines next month.
While injections of liquidity were invaluable in preventing an economic catastrophe last year, central bankers’ claims that quantitative easing would boost gross domestic product are less convincing, writes John Plender. Follow our live blog for the latest coronavirus news and sign up for our Coronavirus Business Update newsletter.
The day ahead
FTC faces deadline on Facebook suit The Federal Trade Commission has until today to submit an amended complaint in its Facebook antitrust suit after a federal judge dismissed the complaint, saying the agency’s argument that Facebook had monopoly power over the social network market was “legally insufficient”.
Tesla AI Day Elon Musk is expected to give a keynote at Tesla’s AI Day. The event comes days after the US government launched an investigation into crashes involving the carmaker’s Autopilot driverless technology and US senators called for a probe into the company’s marketing practices.
US jobless claims Economists expect applications for unemployment benefits to continue to fall in the week ended August 14. (WSJ)
What else we’re reading
Interview: Germany’s Greens split from Merkel era Annalena Baerbock, the Green candidate for chancellor, vowed to get tough on China and Russia and reform Europe’s fiscal rules if her party gains power, marking a break from the policies of outgoing chancellor Angela Merkel. Baerbock spoke to the FT’s Erika Solomon in a rare interview with foreign media.
Electronic payments power Nigeria’s start-up boom The country’s economy may be struggling but its fintech groups have attracted more than $1bn in venture capital in the past two years. However, it comes as critics argue the government has taken a heavy-handed approach to the sector.
Making a career in street art Artist Jim Vision is part of a booming but competitive new creative sector. However, not all street art is commissioned and paid for — much of it is done for free on designated spaces to help artists market their talents.
Big Tech wants its workers back where it can see them In the midst of a truly disruptive global trend, the greatest disrupters are clinging on to tradition, writes Elaine Moore. According to data from the US Postal Service, the number of people moving out of the Bay Area is back to pre-pandemic levels. If given the option, do you intend to work from home at least part of the time after the pandemic? Vote in our poll.
Political gestures vs gesture politics Statements can seem little more than gesture. Yanis Varoufakis’s call for Afghan women to “hang in there sisters!” didn’t feel substantive. Yet some gestures can have real power, and impact. Footballers taking the knee before matches, for example, offer a potent reminder of the need for change, writes Jemima Kelly.
Five gadgets for everyday health
Check out these products to aid weight loss, diagnose apnoea and help you sleep. Also, read reviews of a sanitiser gun, to disinfect surfaces, and an antiviral mask.
Source: Economy - ft.com
