Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani yesterday afternoon fled the country after Taliban militants entered Kabul and sought the surrender of the government.

Media reports say senior officials confirmed his departure on Sunday as the Taliban made further, swift gains in and around the capital.

“To avoid bloodshed, I thought it would be better to leave,” he said on Facebook later on Sunday in his first comments since fleeing.

Hamdullah Mohib, the Afghan national security adviser, and a second close associate reportedly were with Mr. Ghani when he left.

An Afghan government official Sajad Nooristani confirmed yesterday in his interview with Asia-Plus that Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani flew from Kabul to Tajikistan.

According to him, Mr. Ghani was accompanied by his national security adviser Hamdullah Mohib.

Nooristani noted that after Tajikistan, Ghani would fly to an unidentified third country.