The US President had said that “no one” had recommended leaving around 2,500 soldiers in the country until they were completely withdrawn from Afghanistan. In a US Senate hearing, two generals have a different memory.
Top US military officials have contradicted statements by President Joe Biden regarding the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. In a hearing in the US Senate Tuesday, Chief of Staff Mark Milley and General Kenneth McKenzie, the US commander in charge of the region, said they personally thought it was better to leave 2500 US soldiers in Afghanistan. Neither of them wanted to comment on what advice they had given the president in a confidential conversation.
McKenzie made it clear, however, that his personal assessment had been incorporated into his recommendation to the President. Milley emphasized that he had already warned against a too rapid troop withdrawal in autumn 2020 – and has stuck with it to this day. In mid-August, however, shortly after the fall of Kabul, Biden had told ABC television that “no one” of his military advisors had recommended that he leave 2,500 soldiers in Afghanistan.
The statements from the hearing contradict this. McKenzie said he would not disclose what recommendation he made to the president. However, he added: “But I’ll tell you my honest opinion, and my honest opinion and point of view have shaped my recommendation.”
Milley: “My assessment is the same to this day”
Milley agreed with the assessment. He, too, had already warned in autumn 2020 that withdrawing troops from Afghanistan too quickly could lead to a “complete takeover by the Taliban” or to a “general civil war”. “That was a year ago and my assessment has remained the same to this day,” he said.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki denied allegations that Biden misled the public about what senior military officials advised him. There were different points of view, and the President made that clear.
The last US troops left Afghanistan at the end of August. This ended the international military operation in the country after almost 20 years – and so did the military evacuation mission for Western citizens and vulnerable Afghans. The Taliban took power in Kabul in mid-August. The international withdrawal was made more difficult with their rapid campaign of conquest and turned out to be chaotic. Overall, the Americans’ withdrawal from Afghanistan met with international criticism and incomprehension.