Pentagon leaders grilled on Afghan pullout decision

The two US generals Gen Mark Milley and Gen Frank McKenzie were questioned by the Senate armed services committee along with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on the Afghan pull-out decision and Kabul Airport attack on August 26. This is the first public testimony on the Afghanistan exit. U.S. Congress start inquiring Pentagon leaders on Afghan incidents after 30 days. Top US generals believed that Taliban-led Afghanistan is a strategic US intelligence failure. They were testified before the Senate on the Afghanistan crisis.

General McKenzie said that he recommended keeping 2500 forces in Afghanistan which was contradictory to Joe Biden’s statement. As everyone expected General Mark Milley suspected Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan. He demand a full probe on the role played by Pakistan in granting sanctuary to Afghanistan leaders. 22 Senators Republican Senators were moved the bill in the Senate on Pakistan role and three aspects. Who helped the Taliban in capturing Kabul? Who helped the Taliban in Panjshir Valley? and Who supplied arms to the Taliban during two decades of the war?

Two US Generals expressed that the Taliban did not cut its relations with Al Qaeda and the Doha agreement in 2016 with the Taliban on withdrawal of US troops demoralized the Afghan army. Gen Mark Milley predicts that the US was now in a more dangerous position and expects possible attacks from ISIS and Al-Qaeda within the next 2 years. They still believed that the Taliban remained a Terrorist group and suggested the US not make any ties with Taliban-led Afghanistan.