Senior general admits US credibility damaged after withdrawal from Afghanistan | US news

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The top US military commander has said US credibility has been damaged as a result of the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The admission, from General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was one of a number of significant discoveries in an extended session with the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill.

He was joined by the commander of US Central Command, General Frank McKenzie, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for a day of intense questioning by Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

And from revelation it turns out that:

Senior US military leaders recommended President Biden keep at least 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, a recommendation the president claimed was not given, and military leaders have been quite surprised by how quickly the Afghan army has collapsed. America’s ability to defend against a terrorist threat from Afghanistan is dwindling.

In separate comments at the same session, General Milley also revealed fascinating details of the conversations he had with his Chinese counterpart about Chinese concerns that former President Donald Trump intends to attack him.

Photo: A US Marine passes water to evacuees at Kabul International Airport – the scene of a chaotic evacuation effort

Regarding Afghanistan, General Milley was asked if he thought the chaotic withdrawal last month had damaged America’s credibility.

The general said, “I think our credibility with allies and partners around the world, and with adversaries, is being reviewed extensively by them to see which direction this is going, and I think damage is one word that can be used.”

His boss, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, also provided evidence, disagreeing.

“I think our credibility has remained strong…” said Secretary Austin, a former general. “Obviously there will be people who are skeptical going forward.”

Photo: General McKenzie said he recommended America keep 2,500 troops in Afghanistan

The main topic of questioning was the degree to which the generals warned the president of the consequences of a full military withdrawal.

The commander of US Central Command, General McKenzie, said he recommended America keep 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, a recommendation that General Milley said he agreed with.

The testimony appears to contradict President Biden’s claim to the contrary during last month’s interview.

“I had the opinion that the withdrawal of those forces would inevitably lead to the collapse of the Afghan military, and thus the collapse of the Afghan government,” General McKenzie said.

Image: The testimony appears to contradict President Biden’s claim that he was not asked to maintain some troop presence. Pic: AP

“I’ve said constantly that my position is, if you go below 2500, you’re going to look at the collapse of the Afghan army, I didn’t expect it to be for days…I thought it would take months.”

“In the fall of 2020, my analysis was that a rapid withdrawal without meeting specific and necessary conditions risks losing significant gains made in Afghanistan, damaging US credibility around the world, and could precipitate a general collapse of the Afghan government, leading to in A complete Taliban takeover or a general civil war.”

“That was a year ago, my rating has remained consistent the whole time,” he added.

Republican lawmakers reacted angrily to the president, a position he summed up in remarks by Republican Senator Ben Sasse, who said: “President Biden lied when he told the American people that no one urged him to keep 2,500 troops in Afghanistan.

“Today, under oath, General McKenzie has flatly contradicted the president. This is the worst disaster for American foreign policy in a generation, and the president is trying to cover his ass with a political role.”

In one of the few interviews President Biden gave last month in defense of his Afghan policy, George Stephanopoulos of ABC News told him that neither military advisers had warned him about bringing troops home or that at least 2,500 would be needed to prevent a Taliban takeover.

“No one told me that I could remember,” he told Stephanopoulos.

Upon the collapse of the Afghan armed forces, which U.S. and other NATO forces had trained for years to be able to stand on their own, the generals were frank in their acknowledgment.

“The fact that the Afghan army that we and our partners trained simply vanished – in many cases without a shot being fired – all of us were surprised,” Austin said. “It would be dishonest to claim otherwise.”

“In the end, we couldn’t provide them with the will to win,” Mr Austin admitted.

Photo: An ISIS-Khorasan suicide attack at Kabul airport killed 13 US soldiers and dozens of civilians. Pic: AP

The chaos that erupted at Kabul airport as tens of thousands of Afghans and other foreign nationals attempted to flee Taliban control eventually resulted in the deaths of 13 US soldiers and a wrongful US airstrike killed 10 Afghans, including 7 children.

The US military was trying to target Islamic State fighters.

In separate comments, General Milley was asked about the conversations he had with his Chinese counterpart in the final days of Trump’s presidency.

And it appeared in recently published books about that presidency that General Milley spoke to Chinese General Li Zucheng twice in October 2020 and on January 8, 2021, just two days after Trump loyalists stormed the Capitol.

General Milley was said to have acted improperly in making the calls and was undermining the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, President Trump.

But in the evidence, the general defended himself, saying that his duties are “the deconfliction of military actions, crisis management and the prevention of war between great powers armed with nuclear weapons.”

“I have personally informed both Secretary of State Pompeo and White House Chief of Staff Meadows about the call, among other topics.”

Without providing classified details, the general revealed that US officials had picked up intelligence that the Chinese were concerned that America was preparing an attack on China.

Photo: Chinese officials are said to be concerned that Donald Trump is launching an attack

He said the calls, part of a record line of communication with his Chinese counterpart, were aimed at reassuring China that the United States was not planning an attack.

He told the committee that he was “certain” that President Trump “had no intention of attacking the Chinese, and that my directed responsibility is to convey orders and presidential intent.”

He also referred to a conversation he had with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in which she inquired about “the president’s ability to launch nuclear weapons.”

General Milley said: “I have sought to reassure her that the nuclear launch is subject to a very specific and deliberate process…there are processes, protocols and procedures in place and I have assured her over and over again that there is no chance of an unlawful, unauthorized or accidental launch.”

He added that he “is not qualified to determine the mental health of the President of the United States.”

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