Where is Ashraf Ghani? Scribe breaks down at US Pentagon briefing

An Afghan journalist said everybody is upset, especially women with the recent developments in Afghanistan.

Picture credit: Reuters

Washington: An Afghan journalist broke down during a press briefing of the Pentagon when he asked the whereabouts of President Ashraf Ghani who fled as Taliban closed in on Kabul.

During a press briefing by Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby, He cried out saying “where is my president, he has to answer people.”

Afghan journalist Nazira Karimi said everybody is upset, especially women with the recent developments in Afghanistan. 

"As you know, I’m from Afghanistan, I’m very upset today, because Afghan women didn’t expect that overnight all the Taliban came. They took off my flag. This is my flag. They put their flag. Everybody’s upset, especially women," the reporter told Kirby, pointing to the Afghan flag on her face mask, according to news agency ANI.

During a press briefing on Monday, Karimi asked Kirby on the status of Ghani, who fled Afghanistan as the Taliban closed in on Kabul on Sunday.

"Where is my president, former President Ghani? People expected that he would be with the people and immediately he ran away. We don't know where is he and we don't have a president. President Biden said that President Ghani knows he has to fight for us people, they have to do everything and we were able to financially help them. But we don't have any president, we don't have anything," the journalist said.

The journalist continued: "The Afghan people don't know what to do. Women have a lot of achievement in Afghanistan. I had a lot of achievements. I left the Taliban like 20 years ago. Now we go back to the first step again. Do you have any comments?... Where is our President Ghani? He should answer to the Afghan people."

Replying to the journalist, Kirby said he could not speak for Ghani or "where he is or what his views are and said “But let me say with all respect, that I understand. And we all understand the anxiety and the fear and the pain that you`re feeling. It’s clear and it's evident, and nobody here at the Pentagon is happy about the images that we`ve seen coming out in the last few days."

Kirby said, "And we’re all mindful of the kind of governance that the Taliban is capable of. So heartfelt respect to what you`re going through, and we understand that."

The Pentagon spokesperson continued: "We, too, have invested greatly in Afghanistan and in the progress that women and girls have made politically, economically, socially, and we certainly do understand and we do feel the pain that you`re feeling. Probably not to the same extent. We`re focused right now on making sure that we do the best we can for those Afghans who helped us."

Taliban on Sunday took control of Kabul and installed themselves in the presidential palace in Kabul.

President Ashraf Ghani fled the country as the terrorists entered the city on Sunday. 

Panic gripped the Afghan capital as people feared a return to the Taliban's brutal rule and the threat of reprisal killings.

Thousands of Afghans flooded the tarmac on Monday morning, at one point swarming around a departing US military plane as it taxied down the runway.