Several tweets disparaging the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani were posted from the Twitter page of the Afghanistan embassy in India. The tweets, which have now been deleted, were posted after the account was hacked, an embassy official indicated on Monday, 16 August.
The development comes a day after the Afghan president fled Kabul following the Taliban's approach to the capital city.
The press secretary to the Afghanistan embassy in India, Abdulhaq Azad, took to Twitter to state that the account of the embassy appears to have been hacked.
"I have lost access to Twitter handle of @AfghanistanInIN, a friend sent screen shot of this tweet, (this tweet is hidden from me.) I have tried to log in but can't access. Seems it is hacked," he said in the tweet.
President Ashraf Ghani, who had reportedly fled to Tajikistan on Sunday as the Taliban reached Kabul for a transfer of power, asserted in a statement that he had left Afghanistan in order to avoid violence and bloodshed. Many Twitter users have condemned the president's escape as a cowardly action.
President Ashraf Afghani's Statement
In his first statement since the terror organisation took over the presidential palace in Afghanistan, Ghani said, "The Taliban have made it to remove me; they are here to attack all Kabul and the people of Kabul. In order to avoid the bleeding flood, I thought it was best to get out."
"Taliban have won the judgement of sword and guns and now they are responsible for protecting the countrymen's honor, wealth and self-esteem, he said in the statement posted on Facebook, adding, "Never in history has dry power given legitimacy to anyone and won't give it to them."
"They are now facing a new historical test; either they will protect the name and honor of Afghanistan or they will prioritize other places and networks. Many people and many Aqshar are in fear and are unreliable in the future. It is necessary for Taliban to assure all the people, nations, different sectors, sisters and women of Afghanistan to win the legitimacy and the hearts of the people," he further stated.
The Taliban had seized power of Afghanistan on Sunday, following their entry into the vacated presidential palace in Kabul.
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