Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday defended his decision to flee Kabul in the face of the Taliban advance, describing it as the only way to prevent bloodshed.

He also denied claims by his country's ambassador to Tajikistan that he had stolen millions of dollars from state funds.

Ghani posted a video on his Facebook page late on Wednesday, confirming that he was in the United Arab Emirates. He thanked Afghan security forces in his message, but also said that the "failure of the peace process" led to the Taliban snatching power.