Summary: as the seismic shock of the Taliban victory continues to reverberate in Western capitals, Doha and Ankara are well positioned to seek to influence the new regime and ameliorate the stark and threatening reality now facing the West.
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Whether Ghani took USD 160 million with him or not…. his wife moved to Dubai where they own ‘apartments’ at least a week before he left, and certainly did not go empty handed!
It is nonsense to say that “the UAE [did not move] to assist in any meaningful way those desperate to escape the Taliban.”
You need only look at the statements of thanks sent by the US to the UAE for its role in helping evacuate Afghans; or see the Times today which describes Abu Dhabi’s Humanitarian City, “where 10,000 Afghan evacuees are waiting in transit….possibly the largest single location in the region for people fleeing the Taliban….
Residents are given three meals a day, medical attention and 24-hour wifi.”
See also the UAE’s National newspaper for more details: https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2021/08/28/inside-the-abu-dhabi-humanitarian-camp-for-afghan-evacuees/
The allegations about Ghani, by the way, come from the Russian embassy in Kabul, and were repeated by Ghani’s political opponents. But I have seen no photographic or other evidence. So I personally have no idea if they are true and I would guess that you do not either?
We thank Gerard for drawing to our attention the UAE’s significant contribution to the evacuation and regret not acknowledging this in our newsletter. On the question of whether or not Ashraf Ghani took money out of the country, the jury is still very much out, hence the use of “reportedly taking with him US$169 million.”