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September 29, 2021

U.S. Military Leaders Acknowledge "Strategic Failure" in Afghanistan During Senate Questioning
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Top military officials acknowledged the "strategic failure" of the U.S.
withdrawal from Afghanistan after a failed 20-year war. This is Defense
Secretary Lloyd Austin speaking before the Senate Armed Services
Committee.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin: "The fact that the Afghan army, that we
and our partners trained, simply melted away, in many cases without
firing a shot, took us all by surprise. And it would be dishonest to
claim otherwise."

Generals Kenneth Mc Kenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, and Mark
Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said they recommended
keeping a small force of 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, an apparent
contradiction of statements given by President Biden earlier this year.
In response, the White House said Tuesday that keeping troops in
Afghanistan beyond August would have led to an escalated war with the
Taliban.


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