Biden ignored Commanders’ advice in call to exit Afghanistan: Report

Top US military commanders were recommending against a full withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, advising to try to cement a peace agreement first, but US President Joe Biden did not share their concern.

Sputnik, citing The Wall Street Journal, reported according to US officials, Gen Frank McKenzie, the commander of US forces in the Middle East, Gen. Austin "Scott" Miller, who leads NATO forces in Afghanistan, and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, all recommended retaining the current force of 2,500 troops while stepping up diplomacy to try to cement a peace pact.

Officials said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, himself a retired military commander for the region, shared the concerns of the senior officers, cautioning that withdrawing all US troops would suspend what amounted to an insurance policy for maintaining a modicum of stability in the country.

Austin and Gen Milley found out about Biden's decision on troop withdrawal on April 6, The Wall Street Journal said. Biden was set on pulling US forces out by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the White House says it will guard against the risk of a new terrorist danger in Afghanistan by maintaining warplanes and counterterrorism capabilities at bases outside of the landlocked country.

Meanwhile, the German defense minister said she wanted to help bring some Afghan employees of her country's military to Germany as it prepares to leave Afghanistan after 20 years.