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57-458: On August 15, 2016, a suicide attack took place in this neighborhood, targeting an educational center called "The Promised Mehdi". The bomber struck shortly after noon in front of a crowd of 5,000, mostly students of the Hazara ethnic group who were preparing for university. 34 students were killed and 56 were injured in the attack. Due to its majority Shia population, the district is a constant target for

114-505: A car bombing , followed by two more improvised explosive device (IED) blasts, occurred in front of Sayed al-Shuhada school in Dashte Barchi , a predominantly Shia Hazara area in western Kabul , Afghanistan , leaving at least 90 people dead and 240 injured. The majority of the casualties were girls between 11 and 15 years old. The attack took place in a neighborhood that has frequently been attacked by militants belonging to

171-544: A "historic test". On 18 August 2021, the United Arab Emirates acknowledged that Ghani and his family were in that country for "humanitarian considerations." He was granted stay by the government on humanitarian grounds. On 17 August, the Taliban announced that they were actively working to form a government that would be announced over the coming days. The same day, first vice president Amrullah Saleh asserted that he

228-713: A Master's in cultural anthropology from Columbia University on a government scholarship. While Ghani originally intended to stay for two years, the outbreak of the 1978 Saur Revolution led to much of his male family being imprisoned. He stayed at Columbia and received a PhD in cultural anthropology in 1983. His doctoral thesis was titled 'Production and domination: Afghanistan, 1747–1901'. His thesis advisors included Conrad M. Arensberg , Richard Bulliet , Morton Fried , and Robert F. Murphy . In 1983, after receiving his PhD, he taught briefly at University of California, Berkeley , and then at Johns Hopkins University as an associate professor from 1983 to 1991. His academic research

285-504: A campaign advisor. Preliminary results placed Ghani fourth in a field of 38 , securing roughly 3% of the votes. From 2010 to 1 October 2013, he served as chairman of the Afghan Transition Coordination Commission (TCC), which was responsible for transferring power from ISAF/NATO troops to Afghan Security Forces. He travelled across Afghanistan extensively during this time. On 28 January 2010, Ghani attended

342-587: A candidate in the 2009 Afghan presidential election . Ghani's campaign emphasized the importance of a representative administration, good governance, a dynamic economy and employment opportunities for the Afghan people. Unlike other major candidates, Ghani asked the Afghan diaspora to support his campaign and provide financial support. He appointed Mohammed Ayub Rafiqi as one of his vice president candidate deputies, and hired Clinton campaign chief strategist James Carville as

399-583: A deal that outlined an extensive audit of nearly 8 million votes and formation of a national unity government with a new role for a chief executive officer who would carry out meaningful functions within the president's administration. After a three-month audit process, which was supervised by the United Nations with financial support from the U.S. government, the Independent Election Commission announced Ghani as president after Ghani agreed to

456-482: A democratic process. Ghani blamed the Taliban for the 2021 Kabul school bombing , but Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid denied involvement in the attack, in a message released to the media. Many of the Kabul residents held Ghani responsible for the attack and raised loud chants against the Afghan government and security forces. On 2 August 2021, Ghani blamed the sudden withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan for

513-612: A development strategy that held Afghans more accountable for their own future development. He assisted with the National Solidarity Program , which covered 13,000 of the country's estimated 20,000 villages. After Karzai was elected in October 2004, Ghani had declined to join his cabinet and instead asked to be appointed to the chancellorship at Kabul University. From 22 December 2004 to 21 December 2008, Ghani thus served as Chancellor of Kabul University. He focused on rebuilding

570-431: A national unity deal. Initially, the election commission said it would not formally announce specific results. It later released a statement that said Ghani managed to secure 55.4% and Abdullah Abdullah secured 43.5% of the vote, although it declined to release the individual vote results. In September 2019, an explosion near an election rally attended by President Ashraf Ghani killed 24 people and injured 31 others, but Ghani

627-423: A policy of balanced budgets and using budgets as the central policy instrument, centralizing revenue collection, tariff reform and overhauling customs. He instituted regular reporting to the cabinet, the public and international stakeholders as a tool of transparency and accountability, and required donors to focus their interventions on three sectors, improving accountability with government counterparts and preparing

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684-528: A trade hub between central and south Asia, were left unfulfilled. His position was also weakened by political rivalries, his attempt to lessen the power of ex- warlords , and an uneasy relationship with the United States regarding the war. He was also criticized for being aloof and short-tempered, including being in denial during the Taliban's offensive in 2021 . On 15 August 2021, his term ended abruptly, as

741-470: Is president of all Afghans'. Ashraf Ghani also said that he is willing to offer Afghan passports to the Taliban and to recognise them as a legitimate political group in Afghanistan, as an attempt to strike a peace deal with them. In March 2021, in an attempt to advance peace talks, Ghani expressed his intentions of convincing the Taliban to hold fresh elections and allow forming of a new government through

798-773: The International Conference on Afghanistan in London , pledging his support to help rebuild their country. Ghani presented his ideas to Karzai as an example of the importance of cooperation among Afghans and with the international community, supporting Karzai's reconciliation strategy. Ghani said hearing Karzai's second inaugural address in November 2009 and his pledges to fight corruption, promote reconciliation and replace international security forces persuaded him to help. Ghani resigned his post on 1 October 2013 in order to run for president in 2014. After announcing his candidacy for

855-478: The Loya Jirgas that eventually elected Karzai. On 2 June 2002, Ghani became finance minister of the new Transitional Afghan government under President Karzai. This government would last until 2004, when it was to be replaced by a "fully representative government". He carried out extensive reforms, including issuing a new currency, computerizing treasury operations, instituting a single treasury account, adopting

912-461: The Taliban took over Kabul . Ghani and staff fled Afghanistan and took refuge in the United Arab Emirates . He later stated he left in order to avoid further violence, and that staying and dying would have accomplished nothing but adding another tragedy to Afghanistan's history. However, he was also condemned across various spectrums for abandoning Afghanistan to the Taliban and has been alleged of corruption during his administration. Ghani

969-624: The United Nations as Special Adviser to Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi , the United Nations Secretary-General 's special envoy to Afghanistan. In this role, he worked on design and implementation of the Bonn Agreement , which outlined the post-Taliban government of Afghanistan. During this time, he also worked pro bono as Chief Adviser to then-interim president Hamid Karzai . He approved the constitution and worked on preparing

1026-444: The advance of the Taliban and said the latter had not cut ties with terrorist organizations and had escalated attacks against women, which the Taliban denied. On 11 August 2021, Ghani appealed to local warlords and private militias to fight the Taliban and also appealed to a popular uprising against the Taliban. On the same day, Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan reported that the Taliban would not negotiate or hold peace talks with

1083-497: The "center of the Taliban". Tolo News while quoting an unnamed source alleged that Ashraf Ghani had refused to take a call from the Pakistani prime minister, instead he sent a NDS delegation to hand over evidence that the terrorists were supported by Pakistan. However, Afghan envoy Omar Zakhilwal rejected such reports regarding Ghani's phone call rejection with Pakistan prime minister. He stated that no phone call took place between

1140-557: The 1990s, he worked at the World Bank . In December 2001, he returned to Afghanistan after the collapse of the Taliban government . He then served as finance minister in Hamid Karzai 's cabinet. He resigned in December 2004 to become the dean of Kabul University . In 2009, Ghani ran in the 2009 Afghan presidential election but came in fourth. In 2014, Ghani became president after winning

1197-463: The 2014 elections, Ghani tapped General Abdul Rashid Dostum , a prominent Uzbek politician and former military official in Karzai's government, and Sarwar Danish, an ethnic Hazara who served as the justice minister in Karzai's cabinet, as his vice presidential candidates. After none of the candidates managed to win more than 50% of the vote in the first round of the election, Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah,

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1254-594: The Bank, he attended the leadership training programs of Harvard - INSEAD and World Bank - Stanford Graduate School of Business . In December 2001, he finally returned to Afghanistan after 24 years of absence. After the ousting of the Taliban that year, Ghani became a key figure in the Afghan Interim Administration , which lasted from December 2001 until July 2002. He left his job at the World Bank and joined

1311-676: The Trans-Atlantic Policy Network, the annual meeting of the Norwegian Government's development staff, CSIS's meeting on UN reform, the UN–OECD–World Bank's meeting on Fragile States and TED Global. He also regularly gave interviews and contributed to the Financial Times , International Herald Tribune , Los Angeles Times , The New York Times , The Wall Street Journal , and The Washington Post . At

1368-516: The US embassy. He has since been described as the former president. A senior cabinet minister said that Ghani fled to Tajikistan , however it was then claimed that he landed in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan . Later that day, Ghani wrote on his Facebook that he thought it was better for him to leave in order to avoid bloodshed and called on the Taliban to protect civilians and said the Taliban now faced

1425-588: The accusation has been presented. A former senior official stated that Ghani left in haste. He said "He went to Termez in Uzbekistan, where he spent one night and then from there to the UAE (United Arab Emirates). There was no money with him. He literally just had the clothes he was wearing." On 8 September 2021, Ghani released a video where he apologized to the Afghan people and repeated that he left to avoid "bloody street fighting". He also strongly denied stealing money from

1482-410: The ambulance and police vehicles. Many of the residents held Ghani responsible for the attack and raised loud chants against the Afghan government and security forces. Ashraf Ghani Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai (born 19 May 1949) is an Afghan former politician, academic, and economist who served as the president of Afghanistan from September 2014 until August 2021, when his government

1539-448: The attack and raised loud chants against the Afghan government and security forces. The Dashte Barchi area of Kabul is populated by members of Afghanistan's Hazara ethnic group. In 2018, 34 people were killed in a school bombing and around 24 people were killed in an attack on a wrestling club in the area. In 2020, 24 people were killed in an attack on a maternity hospital and around 30 were killed when Kawsar-e-Danish tutoring center

1596-403: The bombing, 58 people were killed and more than 160 others were wounded. A day after the attack, the death toll rose to 85. The majority of the victims were schoolgirls under the age of 18. A hospital programme coordinator for the hospital where most of the wounded were transported claimed the patients were aged mostly between 12 and 20 years old. Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani condemned

1653-643: The book Fixing Failed States: A Framework for Rebuilding a Fractured World in 2008. In 2005, he became a member of the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor , an independent initiative hosted by the United Nations Development Programme . Throughout 2005, Ghani gave many keynote speeches across the world, including the American Bar Association 's International Rule of Law Symposium,

1710-583: The collapse of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan government. The SIGAR described Ghani as a "paranoid president... afraid of his own countrymen" and that many of Ghani's dismissals of top military generals "undermined morale" of the ANA. The SIGAR report also reported that Ghani feared that the US was "plotting a coup" against him. SIGAR released a report on 9 August 2022 on the investigation of Ghani's flight from Kabul. The report could not corroborate

1767-421: The controversial 2014 Afghan presidential election . The election was so disputed that negotiations between Ghani and rival Abdullah Abdullah were mediated by the United States. Ghani became president and Abdullah chief executive, with power split 50-50. On 18 February 2020, Ghani was re-elected after a delayed result from the 2019 presidential elections . He was sworn in on 9 March 2020. As president, Ghani

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1824-472: The country when he fled. Ghani said that "leaving Kabul was the most difficult decision of my life, but I believed it was the only way to keep the guns silent and save Kabul and her 6 million citizens." The United Nations removed Ghani's name from its list of heads of state on 15 February 2022. In May 2022, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) released a report on

1881-444: The country. Afghanistan's Ambassador to Tajikistan , Mohammad Zahir Aghbar , stated that Interpol should apprehend Ghani for embezzling public funds. The Russian embassy in Kabul alleged that Ghani fled with "four cars and a helicopter" full of cash and had to leave some money behind as it would not all fit in. Ashraf Ghani, speaking on 18 August 2021 in UAE, has stated that the accusations are baseless. To this day, no evidence of

1938-594: The end of 2006, the Financial Times ran a front-page report speculating that Ghani was a top candidate to succeed Kofi Annan as secretary-general of the United Nations. He was quoted as saying, "I hope to win, through ideas." In January 2009, an article by Ahmad Majidyar of the American Enterprise Institute included Ghani on a list of fifteen possible candidates in the 2009 Afghan presidential election . On 7 May 2009, Ashraf Ghani registered as

1995-735: The extremist Sunni militias. The 2021 Kabul school bombing targeted a girls' school in Dashte Barchi. The neighborhood was frequently attacked by the Islamic State – Khorasan Province . This Kabul Province , Afghanistan location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . 2021 Kabul school bombing Timeline Major operations Airstrikes Major insurgent attacks 2002 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Massacres Other On 8 May 2021,

2052-425: The government as long as Ghani remains as the president. The Taliban took control of Afghanistan on 15 August and Ghani was deposed. That day, Ghani left Afghanistan with his wife and two close aides to Uzbekistan as the Taliban captured Kabul. The Arg , the presidential palace, was captured a few hours later by the group. Afghan officials stated that Ghani had left the presidential palace Sunday morning to go to

2109-532: The inauguration of the Khan Steel iron smelting plant in Kabul, Ghani said that he is aiming for Afghanistan to become a steel exporter. In 2015, a survey conducted by the Afghan news channel TOLO News showed that the popularity of Ashraf Ghani in Afghanistan had fallen dramatically, with only 27.5% of respondents claiming that they were satisfied with his leadership. Since his election, Ghani wanted to improve relations with Pakistan , which in turn could pave

2166-416: The initial explosion was a car bomb followed by two IEDs . One of the injured students recounted that she was leaving the school when the explosion occurred, and about ten minutes later there was another explosion, followed by another minutes later. She continued that everyone was disoriented and screaming, with blood, debris and personal belongings scattered around the yard. In the immediate aftermath of

2223-584: The name Ashraf Ahmad. The American Field Service sponsored his foreign exchange stay. He served on the student council. In 1973, he received a Bachelor of Arts in political studies from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon . There, he met his future wife, Rula . From 1973 to 1977, Ghani served on the faculty of Kabul University and Aarhus University in Denmark in 1977. In 1977, he received

2280-501: The oldest incumbent president. During his tenure, Ghani strengthened ties with Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, with which it has made deals to increase mutual trading. New trade routes have also been launched within the wider region. The Chabahar Port in Iran allows increased trading with India whilst avoiding Pakistani territory. Plans for a railway line from Khaf , Iran to Herat , Afghanistan were set in motion in 2018, with

2337-683: The railway being completed in 2020. In 2017, a railway line from Turkmenistan was extended to Aqina in Afghanistan, the precursor of the "Lapis Lazuli" transport corridor that was signed by Ghani that same year and would link Afghanistan to the Caucasus and the Black Sea . Other regional projects include the CASA-1000 hydroelectricity transmission from Central Asia, and the TAPI gas pipeline, expected to be completed by 2018 and 2019 respectively. In January 2018, at

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2394-428: The regional Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS-K) over the years. Following the attack, residents of Dashte Barchi expressed anger over the lack of security in the area. The residents said the government had not done enough to secure Dashte Barchi, in spite of knowing it had repeatedly come under attack from militants belonging to IS-K. Many of the residents held Afghan president Ashraf Ghani responsible for

2451-483: The terrorist attack and called 11 May as a national day of mourning in wake of the incident. President Ashraf Ghani blamed the Taliban for the attack, but Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid denied involvement in the attack, in a message released to the media. Taliban spokesman also condemned the attack and held the Islamic State responsible for the attack. Additionally, he accused Afghanistan's intelligence agency of being complicit with IS. Many family members of

2508-479: The two frontrunners from the first round, contested in a runoff election, which was held on 14 June 2014. Initial results from the run-off elections showed Ghani as the overwhelming favourite to win the elections. However, allegations of electoral fraud resulted in a stalemate, along with threats of violence and the formation of a parallel government by the camp of his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah. On 7 August 2014, US Secretary of State John Kerry flew to Kabul to broker

2565-864: The two leaders and that such reports are baseless. At a July 2021 conference in Tashkent , Ghani accused Pakistan of fomenting violence in Afghanistan through the Taliban; Pakistan accused Afghanistan of helping insurgent groups inside Pakistan (the Tehreek-e-Taliban and the Balochistan Liberation Army ). One of Ghani's major objectives was to improve South Asian ties to transform the region's economy. On his first official visit to India he envisioned "breakfast in Delhi , lunch in Peshawar , and dinner in Kabul–that's

2622-567: The university and its resources after years of conflict and neglect under the Taliban government. In January 2005, Ghani co-founded the Institute for State Effectiveness with Clare Lockhart , of which he was chairman. The institute focused on the role of the state and transparency in governance. The organization's work was discussed at the UN and World Bank in September 2005. With Lockhart, he later published

2679-424: The victims condemned the perceived inaction by the government to protect the population. One relative said; "The government reacts after the incident; it doesn't do anything before the incident". The residents of Dashte Barchi reported that it took at least one hour for the officials to reach the scene. The delay in arrival of police, intelligence and ambulances on the scene angered the crowd who then started attacking

2736-718: The way for peace talks with the Taliban. He refused to recognize the border with Pakistan, known as the Durand Line , which Pakistan views as an existential issue. He made his first visit to Pakistan on 14 November 2014, meeting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif . However, after many terror attacks in Afghanistan which were largely blamed on Pakistan, and failed Taliban peace talks, Ghani grew increasingly cold to Pakistan. Ghani claimed that Pakistan had hit an "undeclared war of aggression" against Afghanistan. Following two deadly Taliban/ Haqqani attacks in Kabul in January 2018, Ghani called Pakistan

2793-410: The withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops. A car bomb exploded in front of the entrance of Sayed al-Shuhada school. The school teaches both boys and girls in three shifts, the second being for females. A school teacher described that "a car bomb blast happened first, and then two more explosions occurred near the girls school in Kabul". An Interior Ministry spokesman backed the statement stating

2850-465: The world we seek!" He voiced the idea that a stable Afghanistan can act as a bridge between Central, South, and West Asia, given the country's centrist location. Ghani had strong ties with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi . After Ghani's escape from Afghanistan, Modi spoke of his friendship with him on NPR . In an interview with Vice News , Ghani said that his 'heart breaks for [the] Taliban'. He further stated that ' Talibans are Afghans and he

2907-526: Was overthrown by the Taliban . Ghani was born in Logar , Afghanistan . After his grade-school education in Afghanistan, he spent much of his time abroad, studying in Lebanon and the United States . After receiving his PhD in cultural anthropology from Columbia University in 1983, he taught at various institutions and was an associate professor of anthropology at Johns Hopkins University . For much of

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2964-415: Was acting president, claiming that if the president is absent, escapes, resigns or dies then the first vice president becomes acting president. In an 18 August taped address from the UAE, Ghani said he fled to avoid being hanged , and vowed to eventually return to Afghanistan. Former MP Elay Ershad , who had worked as Ghani's spokeswoman, was scathing in criticism. She said he was "gutless" for fleeing

3021-607: Was attacked in the same area. Islamic State affiliates (IS) claimed responsibility for most of the attacks. Most Hazaras practice Shia Islam and are considered heretics by the IS. The Taliban also target the Hazaras for violent persecution, and they have also opposed education for girls, particularly teenagers. Afghanistan in general had also seen a large increase in fighting between Afghan security forces and Taliban insurgents as both sides work to gain territory over strategic areas seen with

3078-734: Was born on 19 May 1949 in the Logar Province in the Kingdom of Afghanistan to Shah Pesand, a clerk worker, and Kawbaba Lodin, who hailed from Kandahar . He belongs to the Ahmadzai Pashtun tribe. Ghani's grade-school education was mostly done in Afghanistan. He attended secondary-level schooling in Kabul . But for the 1966–1967 school year, Ghani studied as a foreign exchange student at Lake Oswego High School (LOHS) in Lake Oswego , Oregon under

3135-412: Was known for his intensity and energetic speeches. He aimed to transform Afghanistan into a technocratic state, winning him support from youth and urban demographics. His cabinets were relatively young and well-educated. Ghani made efforts to make peace with Taliban insurgents and improving relations with Pakistan . However many of his promises, such as fighting corruption and turning the country into

3192-529: Was on state-building and social transformation. In 1985, he completed a year of fieldwork researching Pakistani madrassas as a Fulbright Scholar . In 1991, Ghani became Lead Anthropologist at the World Bank . During this time, he spent five years working in China , India , and Russia working on various projects. After the mid-nineties, he switched to working on the Bank's social policy, reviewing country strategies, and designing reform programs. While working for

3249-467: Was unhurt. Ghani signed a law in September 2020 requiring mothers' names to be added to children's ID cards, in addition to fathers' names, which was seen as a win for women's rights activists in Afghanistan. At age 65, Ghani became the oldest inaugurated Afghan ruler since the foundation of the Durrani Empire in 1747. At his 2019 re-election, at age 70, he overtook Mohammed Daoud Khan to become

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