At the symbolic end of the war, the US general left Reuters in command of Afghanistan

By Phil Stewart

KABUL (Reuters) – Austin-led U.S. general led by the war in Afghanistan on Monday left power in a ceremony in Kabul, marking the symbolic end of America’s longest-running conflict as Taliban insurgents gain strength across the country.

Miller, the last four-star commander in Afghanistan, left before the formal end of the U.S. military mission on Aug. 31, a date set by President Joe Biden when he wants the country out of the country. two decades of war.

Miller addressed a small gathering outside his headquarters in Kabul, vowed to remember the lives lost in the fighting, and called on the Taliban to stop the wave of violent attacks that have allowed them to control more territory than ever since the conflict began.

“What they are telling the Taliban is that they are there too. The violence that is going on is against the will of the Afghan people, and it must be stopped,” Miller said. This ceremony may provide a sense of closure for U.S. veterans. Served in Afghanistan, it is not clear whether the Taliban press will succeed in calming down the Afghan government with Western support as the offensive progresses.

Kenneth McKenzie, a U.S. naval general in central Florida who oversees U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, among others, flew to Kabul to emphasize the support that America will give to Afghan security forces.

“You can trust us with our help in these dangerous and difficult days. We will be with you,” McKenzie said in his appearance.

Speaking separately with a small group of journalists, McKenzie warned that the Taliban believe they were looking for a “military solution” to the war that the United States has tried unsuccessfully to end the peace agreement between the Taliban and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Government.

He said the provincial capitals were in danger, but said US-backed Afghan security forces would “fight very hard for these provincial capitals.”

McKenzie will be allowed to allow attacks on the U.S. Taliban until August 31 in favor of Ghana’s Western protectionist government.

But after that, the naval general said that when the U.S. strikes in Afghanistan, his focus will be on counter-terrorism operations against al Qaeda and the Islamic State.

INTELLIGENT NETWORK

Gathering enough intelligence on the ground can make it increasingly difficult to prevent another Sept. 11 attack, as the U.S. intelligence network weakens as the U.S. withdraws and Afghan troops lose territory.

U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat and former Pentagon senior official, said many lawmakers are still looking for answers from the Biden administration to find out how the U.S. can detect a future Al Qaeda plot against the United States.

“I don’t need them to tell everyone what our plan for the day is. But I think it’s important to share some details in private,” Slotkin said.

U.S. officials do not believe the Taliban can be trusted to prevent Al Qaeda from re-planning attacks on the United States from Afghanistan.

The United Nations said in a January report that there could be as many as 500 al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan and that the Taliban maintained a close relationship with the Islamist extremist group.

GENERAL BETWEEN LONG

As he leaves office, Miller, 60, has more time on the ground than previous generals to rule in the war.

In 2018 he had a close call when he was shot by a malicious Afghan bodyguard in Kandahar province and killed a powerful Afghan police chief who was next to Miller. A U.S. brigadier general was wounded, as well as other Americans, but Miller escaped unharmed.

After Miller left office, the Pentagon has designed a transition that will allow some generals to sustain Afghan security forces, especially those from abroad.

Beyond the vision for McKenzie in Florida, a Qatari-based brigadier general Curtis Buzzard will focus on managing funding for Afghan security forces – including aid to maintain aircraft.

In Kabul, the newly created Afghan-Forward Admiral Peter Vasely will lead U.S. forces in charge of protecting the U.S. embassy and airport.

Vasely, as a two-star admiral, has a higher rank than usual in a U.S. embassy position. But a U.S. defense official added that Afghanistan is in a “very special situation.”

“There is no equivalent diplomatic security situation in the world with what we will establish,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

However, what then happens in Afghanistan seems to be out of America’s control.

Biden acknowledged on Thursday that the future of Afghanistan was uncertain but that the people of Afghanistan must decide their own destiny.

“I will not send another generation of Americans to Afghanistan without a reasonable hope of achieving another outcome in the war,” he said.

About 2,400 U.S. members were killed in America’s longest war – and thousands wounded.