Omar Samad, a former Afghan ambassador to Canada, on Thursday pushed back on CNN host Jim Sciutto's narrative that President Joe Biden's administration is to blame for the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
During an interview on CNN, Samad called for the international community to continue its diplomatic efforts in the country.
"What we need to do is keep on engaging," he explained. "If we cut off all ties, if we abandon Afghanistan, if we leave the country and the 35 million people in it at the mercy of we don't know what..."
"Hasn't the U.S. done exactly that?" Scuitto charged. "It has very little leverage now."
"The U.S. has been in Afghanistan for 20 years," Samad replied. "I have been witness to everything the U.S. has done. $2 trillion, 2,500 deaths, 200,000 Afghan deaths. We tried everything."
"The Afghan leader fled at the last moment," he added. "So part of the responsibility is on the Afghans themselves. This is their country. Right?"
"I understand," Scuitto said before ending the interview.
