Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
According to a former official, the former President Ghani fled Afghanistan in only what clothes he had on.
Ghani was apparently dumbfounded by how fast the Taliban advanced upon Kabul.
The ousted leader fled the country and arrived in the United Arab Emirates.
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According to CNN, Ashraf Ghani was shocked by the speed at which Taliban invaded Kabul, and he fled the country wearing only what he had.
Ghani, despite losing the provincial capital of Mazar-i-Sharif in the northern province, was not prepared to leave the country in such a hurry.
The official stated that hours before the exiled president fled, a senior Ghani administrator met with an Al Qaeda and Taliban ally, who suggested that the government surrender.
CNN's former official said that they had worked with the US on a peaceful deal to transfer President Ghani to an inclusive government. These talks were in progress when the Taliban entered the city. Our intelligence interpreted the Taliban's entry into Kabul from several points as hostile advances.
"We had received intelligence over a year that indicated that the President would be murdered in the event there was a takeover," said the former official.
Continue reading: The Americans who prosecuted the Taliban are now going down a "black hole" to aid their Afghan interpreters
According to Amrullah Saleh, Vice President, Amrullah Saleh fled north to Panjshir Valley on Sunday. Other individuals also left the presidential complex "shortly thereafter when there was gunfire outside of the palace."
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CNN was told by the ex-official that the goal of the rescue operation was to protect the city and its residents from street fighting. "This was maintained, and the deal that we had begun negotiating [that] continues today in [former Afghan chief executive] Abdullah Abdullah [and] [former President Hamid] Karazai's hands."
He said: "Before Kandahar fell a strategy for consolidating forces was drawn using the assistance of US forces. The speed of collapse, which was not predicted by anyone, prevented the consolidation of forces from being completed.
Ghani's exile was further described by the former official.
"He went to Termez, Uzbekistan where he spent one-night and then to the UAE [United Arab Emirates]. He had no money. He had only the clothes he was wearing," said he.
Ghani, in a taped statement on Wednesday, stated that he fled Pakistan to avoid being executed by the Taliban.
He said that if he had stayed in Afghanistan, the Afghan people would have seen the president hanged again.
Ghani spoke out about the 1996 assassination of Mohammad Najibullah (ex-President), who was executed by the Taliban after they seized control of Afghanistan and took over Kabul.
The president was reelected and vowed to go back to his country. He also denied the allegations made by Mohammad Zahir Aghbar (the ambassador of Afghanistan to Tajikistan), who claimed that he had stolen nearly $169 million from the country while he was fleeing in exile.
Ghani stated Wednesday that charges were levelled in the days when money was transferred. These accusations are completely baseless.
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