Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country on Sunday fleeing the Taliban and declaring victory for the insurgent group as militants entered Kabul — nearly 20 years after they were ousted from power by a US-led invasion.
Ghani left as the insurgents closed in on the capital, before ultimately entering the city and taking over the presidential palace, sealing a nationwide military victory in just 10 days.
72-year-old Ghani, who prided himself on being one of the foremost global experts on failed states, will be remembered for the collapse of administration in Afghanistan.
Before Presidency
Before becoming president in 2014, Ghani enjoyed a stellar career abroad as an academic and economist focused on failed states, only returning 24 years later to pursue his dream of rebuilding the country. He studied at New York’s Columbia University, before teaching in the United States during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s.