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According to Reuters, Russia's embassy in Kabul said on Monday, Aug. 16, that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had fled the country with four cars and a helicopter full of cash, according to the RIA news agency.
Ghani had reportedly fled Afghanistan on Sunday as armed Taliban fighters entered the Presidential Palace in Kabul. He said he had done so to avoid further loss of life.
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According to the BBC, Ghani allegedly fled to neighbouring Uzbekistan.
Nikita Ishchenko, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Kabul, told Reuters that Ghani had been spotted with four cars full of money as he fled the country.
Part of the money had been stuffed into a helicopter, but not all of it fit. Ishchenko added that some of the money was seen left lying on the tarmac.
According to President Vladimir Putin's special representative on Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov, it was unclear how much money the fleeing government would leave behind.
Russia embassy remains open
The Russia embassy remains open in Afghanistan amidst the chaos in its capital, following security assurances provided by the Taliban, reported the BBC.
France24 added that the Russian ambassador to Afghanistan is set to meet the Taliban today, Aug. 17.
According to the Moscow Times, Kabulov had earlier told Ekho Moskvy radio station that diplomatic recognition of the Taliban will depend on the new government's “conduct” in the coming days.
Russia has pragmatic interest in the Taliban's approach to the Central Asia republic, which were formerly part of the Soviet Union.
Kabulov reportedly added that Russia had said it preferred communicating with the Taliban, over “the former puppet government of Afghanistan.”
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