Ex-President Ashraf Ghani explains why he fled Afghanistan as Taliban moved in

A year after he fled Afghanistan, former President Ashraf Ghani said he left because he did not want to give the Taliban, and its supporters, a chance to humiliate an Afghan president.

Ghani told CNN Sunday that on Aug. 15, 2021, he was the last person to leave the presidential palace after his guards vanished. The Taliban were quickly approaching the capital city, Kabul.

A year later: Tens of thousands of Afghan allies were left behind. Why have so few reached US safety?

He told CNN's Fareed Zakaria that the minister of defense told him that Kabul could not be defended. He told CNN that when he arrived at the ministry, it was empty. The minister of defense was on a plane, and Ghani was the last to leave.

"The reason I left was because I did not want to give the Taliban and their supporters the pleasure of yet again humiliating an Afghan president," Ghani said.

Al-Qaida's threat: After US drone strike on al-Qaida leader, many fear Afghanistan remains haven for terror a year after US exit

Ghani's choice to flee ruined a last minute deal the U.S. had secured to keep the Taliban out of Kabul for at least two weeks, according to the State Department's special envoy to Afghanistan.

Last year, Ghani said that if he stayed, more Afghans would die and "bloodshed" would result.

Contributing: Deidre Shesgreen

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ashraf Ghani explains why he left Afghanistan after Taliban takeover