'Could not make it end differently': Ashraf Ghani apologises to Afghans

In a long post on Twitter, Ghani said his "commitment to the Afghan people has never wavered and will guide me for the rest of my life".

Giving an explanation for fleeing the country amid the fall of Kabul, Ghani wrote: "I owe the Afghan people an explanation for leaving Kabul abruptly on August 15 after Taliban unexpectedly enter the city. I left at the urging of the palace security who advised me that to remain risked setting off the same horrific street-to-street fighting the city had suffered during the Civil War of the 1990s."

"I offer my profound appreciation and respect for the sacrifice of all Afghans, especially our Afghan soldiers and their families, through the last 40 years. It is with deep and profound regret that my own chapter ended in similar tragedy to my predecessors - without ensuring stability and prosperity," he concluded.

On Aug 15, as Ghani escaped to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Taliban took control of Afghanistan. What followed was an unpresecdented crisis in the South Asian country which forced people to throng the airport in a desperate attempt to save themselves from another regime under the Taliban.

The Taliban on Tuesday announced that UN-sanctioned leader Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund will head their new government in Afghanistan while key positions will be held by the movement's top officials.

Mohammad Hassan Akhund to head Taliban's 'acting' govt in Afghanistan

Making the announcement, Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a press conference that the group's co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar will be the deputy leader.