Top generals call America’s Afghan mission a failure

KABUL (Pajhwok): America’s top military officials say they had pleaded for staying in Afghanistan beyond President Joe Biden’s pullout date.

In a testimony before Congress, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and Central Command head Gen. Frank McKenzie spoke about the US pullout from Afghanistan.

The US mission had ultimately been a failure, Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “It is clear and obvious. The war in Afghanistan did not end on the terms we wanted.”

For his part, the defense secretary linked the desertion and surrender of the Afghan security forces took the Pentagon by surprise.

The top defence officials repeatedly explained they had predicted the withdrawal might lead to a Taliban takeover.

Milley said: “My analysis was that an accelerated withdrawal, without meeting specific and necessary conditions.”

A rushed risked losing the substantial gains made in Afghanistan, damaging US credibility and could trigger a general collapse of the Afghan forces and government, resulting in a Taliban takeover, or general civil war, he added.

In his remarks, McKenzie said he would have preferred to leave behind a residual US force, of about 2,500 before the withdrawal.

He added: “If we went below that number, we would probably witness a collapse of the Afghan government and the Afghan military.”

McKenzie confirmed the Taliban offered to let the US forces take over security for Kabul until they formally departed the country on Aug. 31

The generals claimed warning Biden that a rushed withdrawal could increase risks to Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.

“We estimated an accelerated withdrawal would increase risks of regional instability, the security of Pakistan and its nuclear arsenals,” Milley continued..

McKenzie told the lawmakers: “I believe Pakistan’s relationship with the Taliban is going to become significantly more complicated as a result of the US withdrawal.”

PAN Monitor/mud

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