Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani prided himself on being one of the foremost global experts on failed states, only to watch his administration collapse.
He fled the country on Sunday, according to a top Afghan official, as the Taliban reached Kabul after an astonishing rout of government forces.
"The former president has left Afghanistan, leaving the people to this situation," Abdullah Abdullah, who heads the government's peace process, said in a video message.
Ghani was elected in 2014 on promises to remake Afghanistan.
But the 72-year-old may ultimately be remembered for making little headway against the deep-rooted government corruption that likely underwrote his demise.
"He never allowed anyone to get too close, remaining aloof," wrote veteran author Ahmed Rashid, who has known him for nearly three decades.
"Unfortunately his explosions of bad temper and displays of arrogance with fellow Afghans and Westerners were all too frequent and soon made him a loathed figure."
In his Facebook video message, Abdullah -- a long-time rival -- suggested Ghani would be harshly judged.
"God will hold him accountable, and the people will have their judgment," he said.
According to an Al Jazeera report, a politician from an eastern province, who wished to remain anonymous, described Ghani’s departure as a “disgrace”. The politician accused Ghani of “lying to the people this whole time” and of “keeping the Afghan people in the dark”.
A former member of the National Security Council says though the president’s departure was “understandable”, him choosing not to be seen in public since a pre-taped address, was “unpatriotic and sad”.
A former ambassador says, “History won’t remember him kindly.”
The former intelligence chief, Rahmatullah Nabil took to Twitter and said, “Over these seven years, it was proven to everyone that whatever he said to the people, he always did the opposite!”
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