In his first video address since he fled Afghanistan, President Ashraf Ghani said he had left the country to avoid a lynching by the Taliban and vowed to return. The statement came hours after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) confirmed that it had accepted Ghani and his family on "humanitarian grounds". Mr. Ghani denied reports from people, among them the Russian envoy in Kabul, Zamir Kabulov, that he had left with crates of cash. He said he had passed through customs on arrival in the United Arab Emirates. “I came just with my clothes, and I was not even able to bring my library,” he said. In the video message on Wednesday, Ghani said he had been planning to negotiate with The Taliban to have a peaceful transfer of power. He called for an inclusive government and said he was in talks to return to Afghanistan.