Afghan central bank chief flees Kabul, blaming Ghani for chaos

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People climb a wall of barbed wire to enter the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 16, 2021, in this video still. REUTERS TV / via REUTERS

Central bank chief escapes Kabul in military robbery

SINGAPORE, Aug. 17 (Reuters) – The head of the Afghan central bank has fled Kabul, questioned the loyalty of the Afghan security forces and blamed President Ashraf Ghani and his inexperienced advisers for the country’s rapid and chaotic fall in the face of to the Taliban.

In a Twitter thread on Monday detailing how he worked at the bank until the militants were at the city gates, Acting Governor Ajmal Ahmady also said supplies of US dollars were dwindling and described escaping from the capital on a military flight.

“Sunday I started working. Throughout the morning the reports were more and more worrying. I left the bank and left the deputies in charge. I felt bad about leaving the personal, ”he said.

“It must not have ended this way. I am disgusted by the lack of planning on the part of the Afghan leadership. I saw them at the airport leaving without letting the others know.”

Ghani fled Afghanistan on Sunday as Taliban militants entered Kabul with virtually no opposition. Read more

Their arrival, barely a week after the capture of the distant provincial capital Zaranj, was disorienting, said Ahmady, 43.

He was appointed acting governor of the central bank of Afghanistan just over a year ago, after working at the U.S. Treasury, the World Bank and private equity, according to a short biography published on a government website.

“It seems hard to believe, but one still suspects why (the Afghan national security forces) left their posts so quickly,” Ahmady said, referring to claims by some pro-government militia leaders that the surrender of the he army in northern Afghanistan was the result of a plot. Read more

“There is something that remains unexplained.”

Ahmady did not respond to Reuters emails and messages seeking comment. His remarks were posted from his verified Twitter account. A World Bank source who corresponded with Ahmady said the account was genuine.

As the Taliban moved forward, Ahmady said Afghan currency markets were in panic, especially after the central bank was told on Friday that it would no longer receive dollars, causing the price of Afghan currency to drop sharply, the Afghani.

“I held meetings on Saturday to reassure the banks and money exchangers to calm them down. I can’t believe it was a day before the fall of Kabul,” Ahmady said. He said the currency fell as low as 100 per dollar, a decline of about 23%, before leveling off at 86.

Ahmady said he boarded a military plane amid the chaos on the tarmac after a commercial flight he booked was swamped with passengers. It is not known what military plane he got on and he did not mention his destination.

“There was a stampede. Shots were fired. Somehow my close colleagues pushed me on board,” he said. Ghani’s lack of planning and his inability to recognize the shortcomings of his advisers have been the downfall of the government, Ahmady said.

“Once the president’s departure was announced, I knew chaos would ensue within minutes. I can’t forgive him for creating this without a transition plan.

“He himself had good ideas but bad execution. If I contributed to them, I take my share of the responsibility.”

Reporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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