Afghan Pres. Refuses Biden’s Request to Falsely Claim Taliban losing

Hilliard OH

Description

Afghan President Rebuffed Biden’s Request to Falsely Claim Taliban Were Losing: ‘Mr. President, We Are Facing a Full-Scale Invasion’ President Joe Biden pressured Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to paint a picture of his country that suggested it was winning its war against the Taliban in the weeks leading up to the United States’ withdrawal, according to a transcript of their final phone call published on Tuesday. “I need not tell you the perception around the world and in parts of Afghanistan, I believe, is that things are not going well in terms of the fight against the Taliban,” Biden said in his final phone call with the Afghan leader before Afghanistan’s fall, according to a transcript published by Reuters. “There is a need, whether it is true or not, there is a need to project a different picture,” Biden said. The 14-minute call took place on July 14. The Taliban overran Kabul on August 15, prompting Ghani to flee from his presidential palace the same day. The transcript showed Ghani taking a skeptical view of Biden’s argument that trying to change public perception would alter reality on the ground. “Mr. President, we are facing a full-scale invasion,” Ghani replied, “composed of Taliban, full Pakistani planning and logistical support, and at least 10-15,000 international terrorists, predominantly Pakistanis thrown into this, so that dimension needs to be taken account of.”