NEW YORK: Former US President Donald Trump, while calling former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani a traitor, said that he did not have much faith in him.
Donald Trump also spoke in an interview about talks with the Afghan Taliban and the Afghan government during his tenure. He said that during the talks, he had made it clear to Afghan Taliban leader Abdul Ghani that US troops from Afghanistan would be subject to the condition that no harm be done to Americans and allies in the country.
“We talked about if the Taliban harmed the Americans or their allies, the United States would retaliate by bombing their hometowns and other parts of the country,” Trump said.
“I wanted the Taliban to reach an agreement with the Afghan government, but now, to be honest, I didn’t have much faith in Ashraf Ghani,” the former president said by adding, “I had openly said that I think Ashraf Ghani is very cunning”.
Trump then said that Ghani “spent all his time wining and dining our senators.” He added, “The senators were in his pocket. That was one of the problems that we had. But I never liked him… He got away with murder in many, many different ways.” Trump did not explain in what ways Ghani ‘got away with murder’.
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Trump also said that he suspected that Ghani fled with cash when he secretly left Afghanistan last Sunday. Trump’s suspicion was based on Ghani’s “lifestyle”, “his houses” and “where he lives,” Trump said.
Trump’s claim about Ghani escaping with money may have originated from Russia’s embassy in Kabul. The embassy reported that Ghani and his entourage departed with “four cars were full of money,” the Russian news agency RIA reported. The Russian government has since offered its “political support” to the country’s new Taliban rulers, the Taliban said.
