Washington (Kubha News) – The Senate Foreign Relations Committee called on Wednesday (March 19) former US General Mark Milley and General Kenneth McKenzie, former commander of US Central Command, to hearing about the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.
Former US General Mark Milley testified about the end of America’s political and military mission in Afghanistan, saying that leaving Afghanistan was a political decision and that US military officials had never presented such a proposal to the Trump and Biden administrations.
General Milley told US senators that the Taliban did not abide by the Doha agreement and is now distrustful of their commitments: “In my opinion, the Taliban are still a terrorist organization, still engaged in horrific acts in their country, and I do not see returning to Afghanistan as beneficial to us, and I find engagement with the Taliban difficult.”
These two American generals say they had proposed leaving 2,500 US troops in Afghanistan for the survival of the Afghan government and support for Afghan forces, but the US governments decision to withdraw from Afghanistan was a strategic mistake.
The retired general, Kenneth McKenzie, former commander of US Central Command, said that in the current situation, the Taliban are not a threat to America, but they provide an opportunity for other groups to pose a threat: “The Taliban themselves do not intend to attack our country, but they provide a platform for other groups. Our main concern should be that ISIS and Al-Qaeda have the opportunity to reconstitute themselves in Afghanistan, and they have the desire to attack our country.”
The emphasis of these two former US military officials on the resurgence of Al-Qaeda and ISIS in Afghanistan comes as Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban government, has previously assured that Al-Qaeda fighters are not present in Afghanistan and that the ISK in Afghanistan has also been suppressed.
As the time for the presidential elections in America approaches, Afghanistan has once again become a hot topic in the country, and Republicans in Congress are trying to intensify criticism of the Biden administration by holding hearings with former officials.