The Biden advice Afghanistan's Ghani reportedly didn't take
![Ashraf Ghani, Joe Biden.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XMEiyengAKVVyDAg2yCBkW-415-80.jpg)
Although President Biden and his Afghan counterpart, Ashraf Ghani, had a positive public meeting about the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan at the White House earlier this year, the tension was higher behind the scenes, The New York Times reports.
Biden reportedly regarded Ghani, who fled Afghanistan for the United Arab Emirates ahead of the Taliban's takeover of the capital, as "stubborn and arrogant." But nevertheless, he agreed to Ghani's requests to provide Afghan forces with air support and keep the U.S. exit "low key" so it would not look as if Washington didn't "have faith" in Ghani's government. Ghani also requested that the U.S. be "conservative" in granting exit visas to interpreters and other Afghans who aided the U.S. military, an official familiar with the conversation told the Times.
But Ghani reportedly did not follow through on Biden's own request — that Afghan forces, stretched thin, should not try to fight the Taliban everywhere. Biden reportedly repeated advice he'd received from American officials that Ghani should consolidate Afghan forces around key locations to hold off the insurgency for longer. He "never took it," the Times writes. Read more at The New York Times.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Boeing's Starliner to come home empty
Speed Read Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore will return on a SpaceX spacecraft in February
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hunter Biden pleads guilty to tax charges
Speed Read In an unexpected move, President Joe Biden's son pleads guilty to tax fraud and avoids a trial
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Father of alleged Georgia school shooter arrested
Speed Read The 14-year-old's father was arrested in connection with the deaths of two teachers and two students
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel proposes two-month pause in Gaza war in exchange for all Hamas hostages
Speed Read Deal doesn't include an agreement to end war, but might be 'the only path that could lead to a ceasefire', said US officials
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Nato official warns of all-out war with Russia in next 20 years
Speed Read Civilians must prepare for life-changing conflict and mass mobilisation, says military chief
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Rishi Sunak visits Kyiv to announce £2.5 billion in military support for Ukraine
Speed Read Surprise trip comes amid increased Russian bombardment and escalation of Middle East crisis
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red Sea
Speed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Israel preparing to flood Hamas tunnels with seawater
Speed Read IDF pumps could drive out terrorists but critics warn of danger to hostages and Gaza water supply
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacks
speed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages released
Speed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'
Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
By The Week UK Published