Saturday, July 18, 2026

Afghan President Ghani arrives UAE with family members, multimillion-dollar loot

Local media reports said the ousted Afghan leader was welcomed into the country with his family on humanitarian grounds.

• August 18, 2021
Ashraf Ghani
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani

Ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with his family members and the multimillion-dollar loot he allegedly packed with when he fled Kabul following Taliban take over.

Announcing Mr Ghani’s arrival into the Emirates on Wednesday, local media reports said the ousted Afghan leader was welcomed into the country with his family on humanitarian grounds.

“The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the #UAE has welcomed President #AshrafGhani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds,” Sharjah-based outlet UAE Barq reported.

Peoples Gazette on Tuesday reported that the ousted Afghan president fled the country with four vehicles and a helicopter filled with cash.

Nikita Ishchenko, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Kabul, told Reuters that some of the money looted by Mr Ghani was left flying on the tarmac as it could not fit into the helicopter.

“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,” Mr Ischenko said. 

On Sunday, Mr Ghani fled the presidential palace in Kabul after Taliban fighters took over the country’s capital.

The extremists made rapid inroads across Afghanistan over the weekend as the U.S. and other countries started withdrawing their troops from the country.

Heavily criticised by his cabinet members for abandoning the country at a very critical time, Mr Ghani pushed back by saying he fled the country to avoid bloodshed. 

The original date for the full withdrawal of U.S. forces in Afghanistan was September 11, to mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Joint Case Team on Cybercrime (JCTC)

NationWide

Stakeholders seek robust digital evidence management against AI-driven cybercrime 

Ms Akaaga-Ade said collective action remained central to combating cybercrime.

Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria

NationWide

Chartered insurance institute inaugurates Orimolade as 53rd president

The new president said his administration would build on the achievements of his predecessor, Yetunde Ilori.

Nigerian Navy

NationWide

Navy’s intelligence-driven operations boosted oil production to 1.7 million bpd: Official 

Mr Folorunsho said that one of the major operational successes recorded was the arrest of the motor tankers MKPODU, WESTAF, and STELIOS K.

Apple and Nvidia logo

World

Apple overtakes Nvidia briefly to become world’s most valuable company

Apple’s leap on Friday briefly made it the first time that the hardware and software manufacturer had the biggest capitalisation’s title for the first time since April 2025.

WHO health workers in protective gear .

Africa

DRC recorded 828 Ebola deaths, 2,124 cases: WHO

The WHO noted that the latest patient was discharged on July 16 after testing negative twice.