WASHINGTON – US general, and Biden’s top military adviser said the Afghanistan war was lost, but mentioned that keeping forces in the war-torn country would not have led to a ‘different outcome’.
It was the first time that any US general has bluntly stated that the 20-year war ended in defeat. He made the statements during the House Armed Services Committee meeting as he along with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin were grilled about the decisions they made amid the chaotic evacuation effort in the Afghan capital.
Gen. Milley, who termed the war a strategic failure, didn’t hold troops individually responsible saying around 6,000 of them helped evacuate 124,000 people in the final weeks. He also added that the US ‘forever war’ was lost due to a number of factors spanning over 2 decades.
“It is clear, it is obvious to all of us, that the war in Afghanistan did not end on the terms we wanted, with the Taliban in power in Kabul”, however, mentioned that “It wasn’t lost in the last 20 days or even 20 months”.
On Tuesday, Gen Milley and McKenzie told the Senate committee that they personally recommended Us President keep around 2,500 troops on the ground in Afghanistan. Gen Milley added that the US had been taken by surprise by the sudden Afghan government’s collapse.
America’s longest war ends as last US troops exit Afghanistan after 20 years
The hearing of the top US general comes around a month after the chaotic withdrawal in Afghanistan. Around 182 including 13 US troops also got killed in a suicide attack from IS.
Amid the bold statement from US generals, US President Biden defends pullout and declares an end to nation-building. He offered a glimpse of a different American foreign policy in the world after the September 11 attacks, one that he said would be guided more by competition with China and Russia.
US President says troops could stay in Afghanistan past withdrawal deadline
