Worrying about messaging is troubling. Leaving Bagram without turning it over to the Afghans is also troubling. And in the call, Ghani is diplomatically saying that the US has been negotiating with the Taliban and not updating them. And that they stopped giving the Afghans air support long before the phone call. Actually, everything about the Biden phone call is troubling.
And the fact that Biden had not been closely coordinating with the Afghan president before the call makes you wonder. And it increases the perception that they had already been undercut by the US’s negotiations with the Taliban.
Reuters Excerpt (Partial) of Biden Phone Call
BIDEN Mr. President. Joe Biden.
GHANI Of course, Mr. President, such a pleasure to hear your voice.
BIDEN You know, I am a moment late. But I mean it sincerely. Hey look, I want to make it clear that I am not a military man any more than you are, but I have been meeting with our Pentagon folks, and our national security people, as you have with ours and yours, and as you know and I need not tell you the perception around the world and in parts of Afghanistan, I believe, is that things aren’t going well in terms of the fight against the Taliban.
