INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The top two generals who oversaw the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 said Tuesday that the chaotic evacuation, which
resulted in the deaths of over 100 Afghans and 13 US service members, was ordered too late.Retired Generals Mark Milley and Kenneth &Frank&
McKenzie blamed delayed decision-making by the State Department for the rushed and violent airlift out of Kabul&s airport as the Islamic
Emirate took over the country.The fundamental mistake, fundamental flaw was the timing of the State Department&s call of the [noncombatant
evacuation operation], I think that was too slow and too late,& said Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Stripes
reported.There&s a lot of other mistakes that are made along the way … but I think that was key, I think that was fundamental.The former
military leaders shared their assessments with the House Foreign Relations Committee as Republicans continued their scrutiny of the drawdown
of United States forces at the end of a 20-year war in Afghanistan.I will not rest until I get to the bottom of this tragedy,& said Rep
Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the committee chairman
&The American people deserve answers, and I intend to deliver.Milley and McKenzie offered testimony that largely echoed previous appearances
they made before Congress while still in uniform.They reiterated that they had opposed the full removal of United States troops but said
the outcome of the withdrawal, which was marked by scenes of desperate Afghans clinging to departing planes, was ultimately the culmination
of many decisions over many years of war, reported Stripes.The US military recently completed an additional review of the bombing that took
place outside the US military base in Kabul during the evacuation
The military interviewed troops who were not questioned during the original Abbey Gate investigation.The military withdrawal was completed
by July 12, 2021, according to McKenzie, while the State Department order to evacuate all American citizens, Afghan allies and others did
The Afghan government&s senior leadership fled the country the next day.The post Top former US generals say Afghanistan evacuation order
came too late first appeared on Ariana News.
