Less than 24 hours after he fled his royal palace, Afghanistan President, Ashraf Ghani, has released a statement from his hideout.

Ghani escaped from the country on Sunday following the recapture of cities by Taliban forces.

The UK Telegraph also reported that the Taliban is poised to take over the whole of Afghanistan, with insurgents entering Kabul demanding a “peaceful transfer of power.”

However, a dejected Ghani disclosed in his statement that he had to make a hard choice between staying to face the Taliban forces or leave the country.

“I came across a hard choice.

“Should I stand to face the armed Taliban who wanted to enter the palace or leave the dear country that I dedicated my life to protecting?

“In order to avoid the bloodshed, I thought it was best to get out,” the statement said.

The president, however, failed to disclose his location but political observers believed he may have flown to Tajikistan along with vice president Amrullah Saleh.