CNN’s Acosta Dings Biden Admin on Taliban Resurgence: ‘Won’t Admit’ They Were Caught by Surprise, ‘But They Were’

ACOSTA that money can ░░░░░░░░ buy the will to ░░░░░░░░ and that they did ░░░░░░░░ anticipate this collapse on ░░░░░░░░ part of the Afghan ░░░░░░░░ forces Why do you ░░░░░░░░ the Biden administration was ░░░░░░░░ by surprise in all ░░░░░░░░ this They won t ░░░░░░░░ it but they were ░░░░░░░░ Yeah I think everyone ░░░░░░░░ caught by surprise at ░░░░░░░░ extent to which this ░░░░░░░░ collapsed The most important ░░░░░░░░ to look at in ░░░░░░░░ of this Jim is ░░░░░░░░ the Taliban has been ░░░░░░░░ these cities Kandahar Kunduz ░░░░░░░░ there have been very ░░░░░░░░ casualties What does that ░░░░░░░░ The Afghan army is ░░░░░░░░ actually fighting It is ░░░░░░░░ away That is a ░░░░░░░░ 000 person army trained ░░░░░░░░ 20 years with as ░░░░░░░░ say tens of billions ░░░░░░░░ dollars of American money ░░░░░░░░ an air force And ░░░░░░░░ just doesn t fight ░░░░░░░░ melts away Now that ░░░░░░░░ you that you know ░░░░░░░░ we ve handled this ░░░░░░░░ of at a very ░░░░░░░░ macro level wrong which ░░░░░░░░ we tried we decided ░░░░░░░░ we were going to ░░░░░░░░ Afghanistan by destroying and ░░░░░░░░ the Taliban rather than ░░░░░░░░ to incorporate them And ░░░░░░░░ say this with the ░░░░░░░░ of hindsight I don ░░░░░░░░ know what I was ░░░░░░░░ 20 years ago but ░░░░░░░░ does seem as though ░░░░░░░░ Taliban cannot be defeated ░░░░░░░░ that way They represent ░░░░░░░░ part of Afghan society ░░░░░░░░ represent part of the ░░░░░░░░ in Afghanistan the largest ░░░░░░░░ group Because what they ░░░░░░░░ is passion tenacity and ░░░░░░░░ it does remind me ░░░░░░░░ of South Vietnam We ░░░░░░░░ there for years and ░░░░░░░░ 500 000 American troops ░░░░░░░░ billions of dollars And ░░░░░░░░ the end of the ░░░░░░░░ if you talk to ░░░░░░░░ military people on the ░░░░░░░░ what they would tell ░░░░░░░░ is the one thing ░░░░░░░░ lacked was the South ░░░░░░░░ army just wouldn t ░░░░░░░░ Well that s the ░░░░░░░░ here The Afghan army ░░░░░░░░ won t fight ACOSTA ░░░░░░░░ s maddening because we ░░░░░░░░ to have bought a ░░░░░░░░ for the Afghan security ░░░░░░░░ and now that s ░░░░░░░░ to belong to the ░░░░░░░░ it seems But Admiral ░░░░░░░░ continues to say no ░░░░░░░░ is inevitable but the ░░░░░░░░ S embassy in Kabul ░░░░░░░░ instructing personnel to destroy ░░░░░░░░ materials That seems to ░░░░░░░░ an admission that they ░░░░░░░░ Kabul to fall ZAKARIA ░░░░░░░░ think you d be ░░░░░░░░ not to be planning ░░░░░░░░ that As you pointed ░░░░░░░░ You re not hearing ░░░░░░░░ the president of Afghanistan ░░░░░░░░ re not hearing about ░░░░░░░░ offensives You are not ░░░░░░░░ about regrouping You know ░░░░░░░░ of these cities have ░░░░░░░░ before Kunduz for example ░░░░░░░░ fell in the last ░░░░░░░░ days has fallen twice ░░░░░░░░ in the last 10 ░░░░░░░░ Each time the Americans ░░░░░░░░ great cost with American ░░░░░░░░ and Afghan lives retook ░░░░░░░░ cities And the question ░░░░░░░░ is there a strategy ░░░░░░░░ the Afghan government have ░░░░░░░░ plan Do they have ░░░░░░░░ capacity to try and ░░░░░░░░ back We know they ░░░░░░░░ again the military capacity ░░░░░░░░ have aircraft They have ░░░░░░░░ know weapons But do ░░░░░░░░ do they really want ░░░░░░░░ do this They re ░░░░░░░░ a Taliban that is ░░░░░░░░ 60 000 or 70 ░░░░░░░░ troops The 300 000 ░░░░░░░░ them vastly better trained ░░░░░░░░ better equipped Why are ░░░░░░░░ not trying to take ░░░░░░░░ these cities ACOSTA Yeah ░░░░░░░░ Fareed what about President ░░░░░░░░ s handling of all ░░░░░░░░ this Obviously we have ░░░░░░░░ video that shows he ░░░░░░░░ t anticipate this happening ░░░░░░░░ should he have also ░░░░░░░░ the American people to ░░░░░░░░ something like this Because ░░░░░░░░ seems like we re ░░░░░░░░ going to be watching ░░░░░░░░ horrific scene unfold over ░░░░░░░░ next few weeks where ░░░░░░░░ Taliban some of the ░░░░░░░░ people on the face ░░░░░░░░ the Earth are going ░░░░░░░░ take over this country ░░░░░░░░ we have invested trillions ░░░░░░░░ dollars into ZAKARIA Yeah ░░░░░░░░ was a slow motion ░░░░░░░░ in the making in ░░░░░░░░ sense that Donald Trump ░░░░░░░░ took the most important ░░░░░░░░ which was he drew ░░░░░░░░ American troops significantly from ░░░░░░░░ think about 15 000 ░░░░░░░░ 3 000 and he ░░░░░░░░ negotiating with the Taliban ░░░░░░░░ created this unreal atmosphere ░░░░░░░░ people thought things had ░░░░░░░░ stable They hadn t ░░░░░░░░ Taliban just stopped fighting ░░░░░░░░ the Americans because they ░░░░░░░░ waiting to negotiate their ░░░░░░░░ Once we started to ░░░░░░░░ the Taliban ramped up ░░░░░░░░ So we were in ░░░░░░░░ kind of no man ░░░░░░░░ land where it seemed ░░░░░░░░ things were stable Biden ░░░░░░░░ have prepared people for ░░░░░░░░ reality that the Taliban ░░░░░░░░ it started to fight ░░░░░░░░ going to you know ░░░░░░░░ going to gain the ░░░░░░░░ hand.”