Russia Says Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Fled His Country With 4 Cars, Chopper Full Of Cash

Russia's embassy in Kabul announced on Monday that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had escaped the country with four cars and a chopper full of cash, Reuters said.

Ghani was first thought to have gone to Tajikistan. Still, Al Jazeera (via Reuters) later reported traveling to Uzbekistan, citing his personal bodyguard.

Russia has stated that it will maintain a diplomatic presence in Kabul. It hopes to build ties with the Taliban while also saying that it is not in a hurry to recognize the Taliban as the country's rulers and will closely monitor their actions.

"As for the collapse of the (outgoing) regime, it is most eloquently characterised by the way Ghani fled Afghanistan," Nikita Ishchenko, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Kabul, was quoted as saying by RIA.

"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," he was quoted as saying.

The Russian embassy's spokesman, Ischenko, verified his remarks to Reuters. His knowledge came from 'witnesses,' he said. Reuters was unable to independently verify the authenticity of his claim right away.

President Vladimir Putin's special representative for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, had stated that the amount of money the retreating government would leave behind was unknown.

"'I hope the government that has fled did not take all the money from the state budget. It will be the bedrock of the budget if something is left,' Kabulov told Moscow's Ekho Moskvy radio station (via Daily Mail).

Ghani claimed to have departed Afghanistan on Sunday as the Taliban marched into Kabul almost unchallenged. He stated in a Facebook post on Sunday that he wanted to avoid bloodshed.

Ghani stated in a Facebook post that he had to make a painful decision, with the fate of millions of Kabul inhabitants and the city's security on the line after 20 years of conflict that had already claimed the lives of countless people.

“The Taliban won victory in the judgment of sword and gun and they have responsibility to protect the honour, prosperity and self-respect of our compatriots,” he said.

Taliban officials said there had been no reports of confrontations anywhere in the country. According to one official, the situation is calm. The official added that the Taliban controlled 90 percent of governmental structures and fighters were instructed to avoid causing any damage.

After a fast advance that concluded in Kabul, the Taliban grabbed control of the country in just over a week. At least five people were slain in Kabul airport.

Another three were reportedly killed falling from a jet, as militants declared triumph and claimed peace had been brought to the country, witnesses said. Hundreds attempted to forcibly board planes leaving the Afghan capital, witnesses added.

One witness said he saw five people's bodies being loaded into a truck. Another witness stated that it was unclear whether the victims died due to shooting or stampede.

According to a US official, US troops in charge of the airport fired in the air earlier to disperse the gathering. Still, officials were not immediately available to comment on the deaths.

Meanwhile, migrants have gathered at the country's borders in a desperate attempt to depart Afghanistan before the Taliban's draconian regulations take effect, with images from the country's Pakistan border showing hundreds of people queuing to leave.