UAE welcomes Ashraf Ghani, family into country on 'humanitarian grounds'

Dubai, Aug 18 : The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in UAE has confirmed that the Arab nation has welcomed Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds.

"The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the UAE has welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds," the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

There were reports that Ghani had fled the country to Tajikistan or Uzbekistan, while others indicated that he was in Oman, trying to escape to US, after the Taliban took over Afghanistan on Sunday.

Russia's diplomatic mission in Kabul had alleged that Ghani had fled the country with vehicles full of cash.

The embassy had said that Ghani had fled the country with four cars and a helicopter full of cash and had to leave some money behind as it would not all fit in, the RIA news agency had reported.

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."

Ischenko confirmed his comments to a global news wire, citing "witnesses" as the source of his information, Al Jazeera reported.

Afghanistan Defence Minister Bismillah Mohammadi had in a tweet lamented in an apparent reference to Ghani and his associates that they "tied our hands behind our backs and sold the homeland, damn the rich man and his gang".