New @thefix mashup:
The Biden administration’s many wrong predictions about Afghanistan
washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/…
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 18:
“No one, starting with the Taliban, has an interest in going back to a civil war … if they start something up again, they’re going to be in a long war.”
Special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad on May 18:
“The statements that the forces will disintegrate and the Talibs will take over in short order are mistaken. The real choices the Afghans will face is between a long war and negotiated settlement”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on June 7:
“If there is a significant deterioration in security, that could well happen, we have discussed this before. I don't think it's going to be something that happens from a Friday to a Monday.”
President Biden on July 8:
“The likelihood there’s going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely.”
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on July 12:
"I think when we look back 6-8 months from now, what we're going to see is the influence of leadership and how much political military leadership out of Afghan leaders there was”
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley on July 21:
“A Taliban automatic military takeover is not a foregone conclusion.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Aug. 10:
“The president continues to believe that it is not inevitable that the Taliban takes over Kabul or the country”
State Department spokesman Ned Price on Aug. 10:
“The idea that the Taliban advance—continued Taliban advance is unstoppable, that there’s nothing that can stand in the way, that we’ll just have to watch it unfold, that is not the reality on the ground.”
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on Aug. 10:
"No outcome is inevitable here in Afghanistan … And there are plenty of opportunities ahead for both the government in Kabul and the Afghan forces to turn back this tide and to defend their country.”
President Biden on Aug. 10:
“I think they’re beginning to realize they’ve got to come together politically at the top … but I do not regret my decision.”
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on Aug. 13:
"Kabul is not, right now, in an imminent threat environment.”
US intel annual assessment on April 9:
“Prospects for a peace deal will remain low during the next year. The Taliban is likely to make gains on the battlefield & the Afghan Govt will struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws support”
dni.gov/files/ODNI/doc…
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.