The spokesman for the political office of the Taliban, Sohail Shaheen, said that former President Ashraf Ghani should "return the money of the Afghan people," stressing that he does not have that money, and that he ran away with it illegally.

However, he made it clear in a press interview that pursuing Ghani to recover any money he may have seized is not a priority, and that the movement's attention is now focused on the issue of the government, and that prosecution will not take place before the formation of the new government.

🔴 EXCLUSIVE: Taliban's political spokesperson in Qatar, @SuhailShaheen1 says Afghan President Ashraf Ghani must return “the money of the people of Afghanistan”#afghanistan #taliban #qatar #dohanews

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— Doha News (@dohanews) August 29, 2021

Shaheen considered that Ghani made a mistake by abdicating suddenly at a time when the movement was waiting for a peaceful transfer of power and its forces at the gates of the capital, Kabul.

The spokesman added that the Afghan president fled suddenly and "lost everything", creating a state of security vacuum, as well as seizing the money of the Afghan people.

Russian media sources reported that the Afghan president fled with 4 cars and a helicopter loaded with money.


escape and receive

The Russian Information Agency quoted the Moscow embassy in Kabul that Ghani had to leave some money because he could not find a place to take it.

The Russian agency quoted embassy spokesman in Kabul Nikita Ishchenko as saying that Ghani took "4 cars loaded with money, they tried to put another part of the money in a helicopter, but the space did not accommodate all the money. Some money was left lying on the runway."

The spokesman confirmed to Reuters that "witnesses" are the source of his information.

Reuters could not independently verify his account.

Regarding Ghani's relationship with the United Arab Emirates, where he and his family settled after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Shaheen said he believed Ghani had good relations with Abu Dhabi.

About two weeks ago, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said - in a statement - that "the UAE received President Ashraf Ghani and his family in the country for humanitarian considerations."