Sayed Mahdi Hussaini
Bayan News – General Mark Milley, former Chief of Staff of the United States Army, and General Kenneth McKenzie, former commander of CENTCOM, appeared before the House Foreign Affairs Committee to discuss the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and answered questions from congressional members.
The session, which took place on Tuesday night (March 19) Afghanistan time, saw the former Chief of Staff of the US Army stating that the Taliban has violated all provisions of the Doha Agreement except for refraining from attacking US forces.
The American general made it clear that the Taliban has not severed its ties with Al-Qaeda and has not initiated talks with Afghan political groups to form a government.
According to the US general, the Doha Agreement was a continuation of the decision-making of the previous US government, and nevertheless, there is a need for a comprehensive review of the war and the US mission in Afghanistan.
He emphasized that President Biden opposed the presence of 2,500 US troops in Afghanistan, while President Biden should have kept American contractors until the Doha Agreement was fully implemented in Afghanistan.
Milley continued in his statements, emphasizing that the United States should create the necessary political conditions for the implementation of the Doha Agreement.
The former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Army told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the US talks with the Taliban and the signing of the Doha Agreement severely weakened the spirit of the Afghan government and army.
General McKenzie, in his remarks to Congress, added that according to the US plan, a number of forces were remaining to secure the embassy and the safe evacuation of American citizens, but the collapse of the Afghan government disrupted these plans.
The CENTCOM commander added that the catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan and the killing of US soldiers at Kabul airport were the result of incorrect US policies, not the US Army.
According to the American general, several terrorist attacks were prevented during the evacuation of personnel from Kabul, but the terrorist attack on August 21, despite good planning, was a success for the enemy.
He further emphasized that the United States should be concerned about the strengthening of Al-Qaeda and ISIS in Afghanistan and should monitor Afghanistan from the air to prevent it.
It should be noted that on August 15, 2021, after twenty years of military presence in Afghanistan, the United States withdrew its forces from Kabul, and the Taliban took control over Afghanistan.
Although the US does not have a military presence in Afghanistan, it still maintains control over Afghan airspace.
