Afghan President, family in UAE: ministry

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani claimed on Wednesday night that he "was forced to leave Kabul and decided to leave my country in order to prevent bloodshed."

Ghani made the statement, addressing his compatriots in their native language Pashto, during a live Facebook broadcast from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), reported Xinhua.

Ghani said, "If I had stayed, I would be witnessing bloodshed in Kabul."

He also issued a rebuttal against his critics who said he left Afghanistan hastily, saying that "those who think that I fled should not judge if they don't know all the details."

Ghani has been bitterly criticised by former ministers for leaving the country suddenly as Taliban forces entered Kabul.

Ghani left his country on Sunday night after the Taliban took control of the presidential palace in Afghan capital Kabul. He said he left Kabul on the advice of his security officials.

On Wednesday, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation confirmed that the country welcomed Ghani and his family "on humanitarian grounds."

Earlier, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation confirmed on Wednesday that the UAE has welcomed Afghanistan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country "on humanitarian grounds."

Ghani left his country on Sunday night after the Taliban took control of the presidential palace in Afghan capital Kabul. The Taliban declared the war in Afghanistan was over after Ghani left and forces led by the United States departed and other Western nations scrambled to evacuate their citizens.

Afghanistan's capital Kabul has been experiencing relatively peaceful days since the Taliban took control of the city on Sunday.

The Taliban said Tuesday that it intends to form an inclusive government in Afghanistan and does not want to have any internal or external enemies.

The U.S.-led military forces invaded Afghanistan under the pretext of fighting terrorism in late 2001 and dethroned the Taliban regime.