By Hamza Ameer Kabul, December 30, : .The New Yorker magazine claims that the text message was actually a text message followed by a call from Pakistan that convinced then Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, and Afghan National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib, to quit the country in the middle of August when the Taliban entered Kabul.
According to the New Yorker Magazine, the text message was sent in the afternoon on August 15th.This is the date when Taliban took control of Kabul from Ashraf Ghani’s regime.
It came just two weeks after foreign troops left Afghanistan.
“Khalil Haqqani was a Taliban leader named after his family and wished to talk with Mohib.
According to the magazine, he answered the phone call of Haqqani and asked for his surrender.
Mohib called Tom West (a deputy of Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad) in Doha to inform him about this call.
The New Yorker added that West advised him to not attend any meetings as it could be a trap.
Mohib and Ghani met later that day to discuss possible evacuation plans.At noon it was decided that Mohib and Ghani along with Rula, Ghani’s wife, and other staff, should depart for the UAE as soon as possible.
Mohib’s contacts in the UAE offered Mohib seats on an Emirates Airlines flight that was due to leave Kabul at 4:00 that afternoon.According to the New Yorker, President Ghani requested that Mohib escort Rula from Kabul to Dubai.He then joined the Doba negotiating team to conclude talks with Khalilzad & Mullah Baradar regarding the handover.
Three of President Ghani’s Mi-17s were seen at the palace, while the fourth was in the airport.Mohib was told that pilots had fully fuelled the helicopters as they were aiming to fly to Tajkistan and Uzkistan, just like other Afghan military pilots.
According to The New Yorker, “The pilots declined to travel to the airport without Rula because they heard that rebel Afghan soldiers were grounding or seizing helicopters there.”
According to the magazine, Mohib also doubted the loyalty of bodyguards in the event that the Taliban enter the palace grounds.
Ghani was determined to get more items, however, Mohib worried about panicking and revolting by the armed guards.”Ghani” climbed in a car without even his passport.
While all this was happening in Kabul Ambassador Khalilzad visited Doha to discuss a surrender plan for Mullah Baradar.Baradar agreed to not enter Kabul or withdraw his Taliban fighters.
Ghani was not prepared to accept this information when it was disclosed to him.
The report stated that “Yet, this was based upon assurances from Khalilzad or the Taliban, which Ghani considered both to be unreliable sources.”
Ghani took off for Uzbekistan as his guards and staff were unaware of where Ghani and Mohib went.They had little choice but to bargain with the Taliban.
hamza/arm
#Ashraf #Ghani #expelled #Afghanistan #text #message
.
