In the last call between US President Joe Biden and his Afghanistan counterpart before the Taliban seized control of the country, the leaders discussed military aid, political strategy and messaging tactics, but neither Biden nor Ashraf Ghani appeared aware of or prepared for the immediate danger of the entire country falling to insurgents, a transcript reviewed by Reuters shows.
Joe Biden and Ashraf Ghani spoke for roughly 14 minutes on July 23. On August 15, Ghani fled the presidential palace, and the Taliban entered Kabul. "...there's a need, whether it is true or not, there is a need to project a different picture," Biden told Ghani.
In the call, Joe Biden offered aid if Ashraf Ghani could publicly project he had a plan to control the spiraling situation in Afghanistan. "We will continue to provide close air support, if we know what the plan is," Biden said. The US president also advised Ghani to get buy-in from powerful Afghans for a military strategy going forward, and then to put a "warrior" in charge of the effort, a reference to Defense Minister General Bismillah Khan Mohammadi.
The edition of India First covers significant global and domestic developments. At the BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting in Delhi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasised the necessity of unimpeded maritime flows through the Strait of Hormuz and criticised unilateral sanctions.
The Congress party has resolved its leadership crisis in Kerala by selecting a new Chief Minister after eleven days of deliberations. The decision comes after a legislature party meeting, which saw the attendance of most elected representatives, though a senior leader skipped the gathering due to disagreement with the high command's choice.
This edition of So Sorry is a humorous take on how the failure of Iran war peace talks and blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have become a big headache for US President Donald Trump.
This edition of Democratic Newsroom focusses on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent appeal to citizens to reduce spending, conserve fuel, avoid buying gold, and limit foreign travel amid the ongoing West Asia conflict.
