They admit to feeling “pain and anger” after having handed over Afghanistan to the Taliban, their 20-year-old enemies. Top Pentagon officials pledged Wednesday to “learn the lessons” of the war in the Central Asian country.
“No operation is ever perfect,” admitted US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin, speaking publicly for the first time since the end of the chaotic evacuation of 124,000 civilians from Kabul, on Monday night in Tuesday.
“We want to learn as much as possible from this experience,” added Lloyd Austin, a former general who fought in Afghanistan, after paying solemn and somber tribute to the 800,000 American soldiers who have succeeded one another since 2001 on Afghan soil, at during a war that claimed the lives of 2,461 US servicemen, including 13 in the final hours of the withdrawal.
“We will learn from this experience”
The Chief of Staff, General Mark Milley, who also fought in Afghanistan, admitted that the last few days had been “extremely difficult emotionally”.
“We are all torn between pain, anger, grief and sadness on the one hand, and pride and resilience on the other,” he added.
“We will learn from this experience,” he said. “And what got us there will be studied for years to come,” he added. “We, the military, will approach this with humility, transparency and frankness. There are a lot of tactical, operational and strategic lessons to be learned ”.
A possible cooperation with the Taliban “possible” to fight against the Islamic State group in Khorasan
Lloyd Austin acknowledged that the end of a war that began in 2001 to oust the Taliban from power could be difficult for soldiers who lost brothers in arms in Afghanistan, as well as for the families of those who left their homes there. life.
“I know these last few days have been difficult for a lot of us,” he said. “You shouldn’t expect Afghanistan veterans any more than other Americans. I have heard some very strong opinions over the past few days. Its very important. It is democracy. “
General Milley also deemed “possible” a possible cooperation with the Taliban to fight against the Islamic State group in Khorasan (EI-K), which claimed responsibility for the attack which killed more than a hundred people, including 13 Americans. on August 26 at Kabul airport.
The war was launched at the end of 2001 after the attacks of September 11, which left 2,977 dead in a single day. They had been led by the jihadists of Al-Qaeda, based in Afghanistan and protected by the Taliban.
But what was to be limited to a retaliatory operation evolved into a vast enterprise of rebuilding the country to prevent a return of the Taliban to power, which happened on August 15.
Lloyd Austin has announced that he will visit the Gulf region next week, where allies of the United States have facilitated the evacuation of Afghan refugees.