Russian Embassy: President left Afghanistan with four cars and a helicopter full of money

Ghan, whose whereabouts are not yet known, said he left Afghanistan on Sunday as the Taliban took control of Kabul.

He said he left because he wanted to avoid bloodshed. Russia said it hopes to establish co-operation with Taliban, though it will not rush to recognise them as country rulers and will monitor their behaviour closely.

Four cars were full of money, and they also tried to fill a helicopter with the rest of the money, but they failed to fill it all. “and some of the money was left on the track,” he said.

Istenko, a Russian Embassy spokesman, confirmed the allegations to Reuters. He quoted the “eyewitnesses” as a source for his information. Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Cabulov, said it was unclear how much money was being made.

We hope that the government that managed to escape hasn't taken all the money from the state budget.” If there is anything left, it will be the base of the budget, “said Cabulov for Moscow Radio Echo stations.