President Biden pressured Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani to create the "Perception" that the Taliban weren't winning, "Whether it's true or not," in a phone call just three weeks before the insurgents seized control of the country, a bombshell leaked transcript shows.
Biden and Ghani spoke for roughly 14 minutes on July 23 in what would be their final call before the Taliban overran the government and Afghanistan descended into bloody chaos amid the botched US withdrawal, according to a transcript and audio obtained by Reuters.
"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.
Biden told Ghani that Afghanistan's prominent political figures - including former Afghan President Hamid Karzai - should give a joint press conference that backed a new military strategy on how to defeat the Taliban, saying: "That will change perception, and that will change an awful lot, I think."
"I'm not a military guy, so I'm not telling you what that plan should precisely look like, you're going to get not only more help, but you're going to get a perception that is going to change in terms of how , um our allies and folks here in the States and other places think you're doing," Biden said.
Biden also heaped praise on Afghan security forces - which were trained and funded by the US before dissolving in a matter of weeks amid the US withdrawal - and offered aid if Ghani could publicly put out a plan that showed he could control the spiraling situation.
In a readout of Biden and Ghani's call, the White House only said at the time that the two leaders "Discussed the situation in Afghanistan and reaffirmed their commitment to an enduring bilateral partnership."
https://nypost.com/2021/09/01/biden-pressured-ghani-to-create-perception-taliban-wasnt-winning/
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