Afghanistan’s embattled President Ashraf Ghani fled the country Sunday as the Taliban moved further into Kabul, officials said. His countrymen and foreigners alike raced for the exit, signalling the end of a 20-year Western experiment aimed at remaking Afghanistan.

Ghani flew out of the country, two officials told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity as they weren’t authorized to brief journalists. Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, later confirmed Ghani had left in an online video. “He left Afghanistan in a hard time, God hold him accountable,” Abdullah said.