Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in UAE after fleeing Afghanistan with helicopter and cash

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled his country as its capital Kabul was being overtaken by Taliban fighters, is now in the United Arab Emirates, the UAE government has confirmed.“ The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the UAE has welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement early Wednesday evening local time.

Ghani left Afghanistan on Sunday evening, with no announcement or clear reporting on where he was going. As the Taliban entered the presidential palace and declared the war “over,” Ghani said he fled to prevent “a flood of bloodshed.” Earlier, the Russian embassy in Kabul  claimed that Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled the country after the Taliban seized the capital Sunday, took four cars and a helicopter full of cash with him, according to Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti. “Four cars were full of money, they tried to stuff another part of the money into a helicopter, but not all of it fit. And some of the money was left lying on the tarmac,” Nikita Ishchenko, a spokesperson for the Russian embassy in Kabul, told RIA. Ischenko’s comments were confirmed by Reuters and the spokesperson cited “witnesses” as the source of the information. Ghani’s departure from the country has been met with great criticism from Afghan people and leaders.