Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday made his first public appearance since the Taliban quickened the pace of their offensive ahead of the United States' departure from the country. As the insurgents continue to seize provincial capitals and head toward Kabul, Ghani said in a televised speech that he has begun "consultations" with other political leaders in Afghanistan.
He did not go into detail about those consultations, but Victoria Fontan, a professor of peace studies at the American University in Afghanistan, told Al Jazeera it's possible he may be working on a transition to a different government — a step American University in Afghanistan law professor Haroun Rahimi believes will be necessary to avoid a "worst case scenario."
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