Taliban wanted to execute Ghani, claims Mohib

KABUL (Pajhwok): Former National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib has said the Taliban wanted to execute former president Ashraf Ghani on the directives of Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI.

Speaking to Radio Azadi and Voice of America, Mohib said it was decided that power would be transferred to the Taliban through a Loya Jirga but the Taliban insisted on surrender.

The former government official spoke to the media four months after the fall of the Republic and is currently based in the United States.

Mohib said Ashraf Ghani’s decision to leave the country was based on events of the past three years, not a last-minute decision.

He said the security forces lost control when they intervened in the affairs of four special presidential helicopters at the airport.

He added that one of the helicopters, which was supposed to pick up former defense minister Bismillah Mohammadi, had been shot down by security forces.

Mohib added that seeing this situation showed that if he stayed in Kabul, Ghani might face the fate of former President Dr. Najibullah.

He said Afghan government officials as well as US intelligence had information that Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI, had directed the Taliban to execute Ghani.

Mohib said there had been no coordination or consultation with the United States on Ashraf Ghani’s departure, and he called his departure “100 percent” in Afghanistan’s interest.

Ashraf Ghani, in a video message released from the United Arab Emirates after leaving Kabul, explained his withdrawal from Afghanistan and said that his goal was to prevent bloodshed.

Mohib said before the fall of the government, the current caretaker government had talked to Khalil Haqqani, the acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriations, about reconciliation, but that he wanted the government to issue a “declaration of surrender”.

“The Taliban’s demand at the time was that you make a statement and say that we are surrendering, after that we will negotiate, they insisted on their message and we did not reach any conclusion.”

According to Mohib, on the day of the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, he consulted with the current US special envoy, Tom West, who was then Khalilzad’s deputy, about a face-to-face meeting with the Haqqanis, but said he had no confidence in the Taliban. “No, don’t go. I can’t believe it. Maybe he’ll take you to a room and kill us.”

Mohib added: “I had a meeting with the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Interior and the Director of National Security. All four of them sat down. I asked if there was a possibility of resistance. “The defense minister has made it clear that there is no possibility of resistance.”

Hamdullah Mohib says election and at least a Loya Jirga were the two options they wanted to hand over power to the Taliban.

According to him, this is why the government wanted to send a delegation to Doha for talks on the last day of its rule, but the Taliban were reluctant to compromise.

Mohib added: “The task was to negotiate with the Taliban to facilitate the transfer of power in a way that would safeguard the interests of Afghanistan and its people, but unfortunately every hour the situation changed and security forces were out of our control.”

Former President Hamid Karzai said in a recent interview that he had submitted a plan to the Afghan government to convene a Loya Jirga to decide on the formation of the next government, the constitution and the national flag.

According to Mohib, Amrullah Saleh, the former first vice president, left Kabul a day before the fall. He did not say whether Saleh had consulted with Ghani about leaving.

Mohib blamed former US special envoy for peace Zalmai Khalilzad for the situation in Afghanistan, saying “Khalilzad captured Taliban’s hand and brought them to Kabul.”

He called on the current caretaker government to form a broad-based government in order to retain power and to accommodate ideologically and politically diverse individuals.

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