Writer: Fahim Sadiqi
On August 15, 2021, Afghanistan witnessed a historic turning point as the last pillars of the Republic collapsed, and the current ruling government brought Kabul under its control. As a result of this major transformation, former officials, political figures, and military leaders of the Republic fled the country in various ways, with these escapes beginning on August 15th and ending at Kabul Airport on August 31th. Officials of the fallen republic justified this escape as self-preservation, but history records their actions as patriotism, treason, and fleeing from their crimes.
After tactical retreats in various regions, Ashraf Ghani’s escape marked the beginning of the end of the Republic. On August 15th, he fled the country with a few close associates, creating a power vacuum. Reports indicate that he first fled to Tajikistan by helicopter and then to the UAE. Ghani is accused not only of fleeing but also of transferring millions of dollars. Ghani’s escape was a direct motivation for the flight of the republican system’s leadership, which accelerated the system’s collapse.
Air Force pilots, technicians, and officers who operated the fallen republic’s most important defense assets fled as soon as the republic fell. According to reports, they hijacked more than 40 helicopters and aircraft to Uzbekistan, transporting a large number of soldiers with them. These aircraft later came into the possession of the United States and Uzbekistan. The sheer number of plane hijackings was an unforgettable betrayal of national assets by Afghan traitors, which will never be erased from the nation’s memory.
In the series of escapes from the fallen republic, a number of politicians and so-called leaders fled the country from August 15th, those who had raised the banner of war and encouraged others to fight instead of peace and understanding, forgot their supporters and escaped to Uzbekistan thru the Hairatan port; Abdul Rashid Dostum and Atta Mohammad Noor abandoned their armored vehicles and fled in fear of a few motorcycle riders. These same officials had given themselves various titles and high ranks for twenty years, but when they entered the practical field, they were unable to fight and ultimately left all northern provinces to their opponents (the Taliban).
Along with government officials, political leaders also left the country a few days before August 15th, understanding the situation, such as Salahuddin Rabbani, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Younus Qanooni, Mohammad Karim Khalili, and Zia Massoud, who reached Islamabad before the fall of the Republic. Some political leaders and officials at the level of governors, ministers, heads of major directorates, or holding other political positions, reached Kabul airport by August 31th and were the first to try to be transported on American planes. Amrullah Saleh, Ahmad Massoud, and some other officials fled to Panjshir in the name of resistance, but after little resistance, they fled to Tajikistan. They presented themselves as symbols of resistance, but in practice, they were unable to do anything; this series of escapes raised serious questions about all the political leaders and officials of the republic who presented themselves as representatives of the people.
Now, why did these people flee so hastily? It had only one reason, and that was that they feared judgment by the nation and accountability to the nation due to their crimes, corruption, injustice, and treachery. Most of the escaped officials were involved in cases where they were accused of corruption, ethnic division, theft, murder, and torture. The escape of the former officials was not only a physical flight but also an escape from history, responsibility, justice, and judgment. However, their betrayals, dark faces, and despicable actions will not be erased from the memory of history or the Afghan nation.
There were various factors behind the fall of the republic, but the escape of the leaders of the republican regime can be considered the most important factor in the regime’s collapse. These people, who presented themselves as national leaders, reformers, and technocrats, abandoned the nation in its most difficult moments. They betrayed the nation, the system, and their responsibility. Although they live peacefully outside the country today, history will never forgive or forget them for the crimes they committed. The message left for the Afghan people is that true loyalty requires action, not slogans.
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