Pentagon chief: No regrets about exit from Afghanistan

KABUL (Pajhwok): The US secretary of defense says he has “no regrets” about the chaotic American military exit from Afghanistan in 2021.

The hasty withdrawal was followed by the collapse of the Ghani government and a massive suicide bombing at the Kabul airport that killed 13 US troops and at least 170 Afghan civilians.

Lloyd Austin, testifying before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, said: “I support [President Biden’s] decision. I don’t have any regrets.”

According to The Washington Times, the Pentagon chief made the remarks in response to lawmakers’ query if he had any regrets about the withdrawal.

To the question if any senior Pentagon official had been held accountable for the failure of the war effort in Afghanistan, Austin responded in the negative. “To my knowledge, no,” the secretary said.

PAN Monitor/mud