The Afghan embassy in New Delhi, India, didn't hold back in condemning President Ashraf Ghani for fleeing the country in a now-deleted tweet.
The tweet was made early on Monday morning, but has since been removed. It read: "We are all banging our heads in shame. Ghani Baba @ashrafghani fled with his crooks. He screwed and f***ed everything up.
"We apologize to everyone for serving the fugitive. May Allah punish the traitor. His legacy will be a stain on our history. @MEAIndia @suhailshaheen1 @ARG_AFG."
The embassy was responding to reports on Sunday indicating that Ghani had fled the country as the Taliban closed in on the capital city Kabul and seized control.
Abdulhaq Azad, the press secretary of the Afghan embassy in India, later said the account had been hacked. He claimed he did not have access to the account.
"I have lost access to the Twitter handle of Afghan Embassy India, a friend sent a screenshot of this tweet, (this tweet is hidden from me.) I have tried to log in but can't access it. Seems it is hacked," Azad tweeted on Monday morning.
The streets of Kabul were quiet on Monday, after the Taliban stormed into the presidential palace and declared the war in Afghanistan to be over.
However, there were scenes of chaos at Kabul airport, where thousands looked to flee the country due to fear of being killed by the Taliban for their association with the West and Ghani's government.
Ghani later posted on Facebook that he had chosen to leave his country to avert bloodshed in a Kabul that had been overrun by the Taliban. He said that "countless patriots would be martyred and the city of Kabul would be destroyed" if he had remained there. Afghan TV network Tolo News suggested that Ghani fled to neighboring Tajikistan.
"The Taliban have won with the judgment of their swords and guns, and are now responsible for the honor, property and self-preservation of their countrymen," he said in the Facebook statement.
"They are now facing a new historical test. Either they will preserve the name and honor of Afghanistan or they will give priority to other places and networks," he added.
India is moving to evacuate hundreds of officials and citizens from Kabul. The U.S. and other Western countries were also scrambling to evacuate diplomats, embassy workers and citizens stranded in the central Asian country. The U.S. even sent 1,000 more troops back into the country to guard the military side of the airport and assist with the evacuations.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Monday said the evacuation of the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan had been completed and the American flag lowered.
A Taliban leader under condition of anonymity told Reuters on Monday that the Taliban fighters are regrouping from different provinces, and will wait until foreign forces have left before creating a new government. The leader said that Taliban militants had been "ordered to allow Afghans to resume daily activities and do nothing to scare civilians" and added that "normal life will continue in a much better way."
However, when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, the group used violence against women and regularly executed citizens for defying them.
Correction 8/17/21: This article's headline originally mentioned the Indian embassy. It is actually referring to the Afghanistan embassy in India. Newsweek regrets the error.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Dutton is a Newsweek Reporter based in Cape Town, South Africa. His focus is reporting on global politics and ... Read more
