A moment of silence for former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, for he has suffered a great loss: part of his vast fortune was left stranded on the airport runway as he deserted his people.
As Ghani made his hasty departure from the approaching Taliban on Sunday, he tried to bring as much cash as possible with him. According to Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti, "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."
Ghani first tried to land in Tajikistan but was refused. But he (and his $169 million) found a happy home in Dubai after the United Arab Emirates allowed him to reside there "on humanitarian grounds." '
"The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the UAE has welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds," it said in a statement.
[image: By DFID – UK Department for International Development – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, CC BY 2.0]
