‘Taliban’s victory not foregone conclusion’
WASHINGTON: The top US military leader on Wednesday expressed doubts if a Taliban victory is imminent in Afghanistan, contrary to a reported intelligence assessment.
“There are a range of possible outcomes in Afghanistan,” General Mark Milley, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said at a Pentagon news conference with secretary of defence Lloyd Austin. “A negative outcome, a Taliban automatic military takeover, is not a foregone conclusion.”
“The Afghan security forces have the capacity to sufficiently fight and defend their country, and we will continue to support them where necessary in accordance with the guidance from the president and the secretary of defence,” Milley said.
Taliban forces have advanced rapidly in recent weeks to take control of the country, moving towards major urban centres. But despite a narrative that has gained currency of the imminent fall of Kabul, they have not taken yet any of the country’s 34 provincial capitals though they have taken district centres.
Asked why the Taliban with 75,000 military personnel appear to be winning against the Afghan military of 300,000 with 20 years of US training and support, Milley said “warfare is not just about numbers” but also about “will and leadership” to fight and prevail.
Milley went on to preview Afghan military strategy in clear terms. “There clearly is a narrative out there that the Taliban are winning. In fact, they are propagating an inevitable victory on their behalf; they’re dominating a lot of the airwaves - that sort of thing.”
Milley said roughly 212 district centres are under Taliban control. “That’s half of the 419 in all. And the Taliban haven’t captured yet any of the 34 provincial capitals. Although the Taliban are putting pressure on the outskirts of probably about half of them - 17 of them, in fact - and what they’re trying to do is isolate the major population centres,” Milley said.
Although the Taliban may appear to have the momentum, the US general said the Afghans are being extremely tactical in their manoeuvres. “The Afghan security forces are consolidating their forces,” Milley said.
“So part of this is, they’re giving up district centres in order to consolidate their forces because they’re taking an approach to protect the population, and most of the population lives in the provincial capitals and the capital city of Kabul.”