Taliban: Afghanistan bank governor flees saying country left in chaos
The head of Afghanistan’s Central Bank and Economic Advisor to the President of Afghanistan, Ajmal Ahmady has flown out of the country, saying he used social media to describe how he tried to maintain calm as the Taliban approached Kabul.
The head of Afghanistan’s Central Bank and Economic Advisor to the President of Afghanistan, Ajmal Ahmady has flown out of Afghanistan, saying he used social media to describe how he tried to maintain calm as the Taliban approached Kabul.
Ahmady said he stayed at his desk, trying to reassure banks and investors, until Sunday morning. Furthermore, he said he took a military flight out of the country that evening after the Taliban swept into the capital.
In a string of tweets, he described how he was “disgusted at the lack of planning by Afghan leadership”.
1/The collapse of the Government in Afghanistan this past week was so swift and complete – it was disorienting and difficult to comprehend.
This is how the events seemed to proceed from my perspective as Central Bank Governor.
— Ajmal Ahmady (@aahmady) August 16, 2021
He said he could not forgive President Ashraf Ghani for causing the chaos.
Mr Ahmady published the long series of tweets on Monday, describing his personal experience of the past few days, as Afghanistan’s provincial cities fell to the rapidly advancing militant forces.
He said he felt there was “something left unexplained” about the rapid capitulation of the Afghan army in the north of the country after the US withdrew its troops from the country earlier this year.
Mr Ahmady was left trying to maintain financial stability as the security situation collapsed.
“Friday – we received a call that given the deteriorating environment, we wouldn’t get any more dollar shipments,” he tweeted.
The lack of foreign currency further increased panic, Mr Ahmady said. He held meetings to reassure the financial markets, but the Afghan currency lost nearly a quarter of its value.
