Top U.S. commander in Afghanistan exits. Complete withdrawal from ‘forever war' nears.
Complete withdrawal from ‘forever war’ nears
KABUL, Afghanistan – The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan relinquished his position at a ceremony in the capital Kabul on Monday, taking the United States a step closer to ending its 20-year war.
The move came as Taliban insurgents continue to gain territory across the country.
Another four-star general will assume authority from his U.s.-based post to conduct possible airstrikes in defense of Afghan government forces, at least until the U.S. withdrawal concludes by Aug. 31.
Gen. Scott Miller served as America’s top commander in Afghanistan since 2018. He handed over command of what has become known as America’s “forever war” in its waning days to Marine Gen. Frank Mckenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command. Mckenzie will operate from Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida.
During the handover, Mckenzie credited Miller with getting U.S. troops home safely and moving out millions of tons of equipment. That has rankled some Afghan security officials who complained that equipment that could have been left for Afghanistan’s security forces was taken.
Afghanistan’s national security adviser Hamdullah Mohib, who attended the handover, said the U.S. and NATO withdrawal has left a vacuum that resulted in Afghanistan’s national security forces being stranded on the battlefield without supplies, sometimes run ning out of food and ammunition.
In comments after the ceremony, Mohib said the greatest impact of the withdrawal is a lack of aircraft to resupply troops. Currently, the government is regrouping to retake strategic areas and defend its cities against Taliban advances.
The handover took place in the heavily fortified Resolute Support headquarters in the heart of Kabul at a time of rapid territorial gains by Taliban insurgents across Afghanistan.
Abdullah Abdullah, chief of Afghanistan’s National Council for Reconciliation, was in attendance. He dismissed suggestions the Taliban could stage a military takeover.
“I’m worried, of course, when the Taliban are pushing for a military solution, that’s a cause of concern … but they cannot impose their will upon the nation militarily,” he said.
Last month, Abdullah traveled with president Ashraf Ghani to Washington, where President Joe Biden assured the leaders the U.S. would continue its humanitarian support. While he said there would no longer be military boots on the ground, the U.S. was not abandoning the country’s security needs.
In a flag-passing ceremony, Miller remembered the U.S. and NATO troops killed in the nearly 20-year war as well as the thousands of Afghans who lost their lives.
He warned that relentless violence across Afghanistan is making a political settlement increasingly difficult. The outgoing commander said he has told Taliban officials “it’s important that the military sides set the conditions for a peaceful and political settlement in Afghanistan. … But we know that with that violence, it would be very difficult to achieve a political settlement.”