CIA chief tried to coach an isolated Ghani through U.S. withdrawal

Seven weeks before Kabul fell to Taliban forces, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani met with CIA Director Bill Burns to discuss the future of his embattled government and country. Two sources familiar with the June 24 meeting confirmed that the men met at the agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia, to discuss the upcoming transition that would need to happen as the U.S. withdrew its troops.

At the time of Ghani's visit to the Biden White House on June 25, U.S. intelligence had grown increasingly concerned about the stability of the Afghan government. The Wall Street Journal had just reported the recent U.S. intelligence conclusion that the government in Kabul could collapse within six months, and that some Western officials projected it might not last more than three months.

Yet Burns and Ghani did not discuss that timeline. There were few individuals in the room at the CIA for what would be a consequential conversation. Two sources with knowledge of the meeting described the conversation with Burns as "very policy-centric" as the U.S. tried to coach Ghani on steps he would need to take to handle the transition. It was a role that tapped into Burns' decades of diplomatic experience as a former deputy secretary of state and veteran ambassador.