Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley on Wednesday said U.S. military intelligence did not indicate that Afghanistan would fall to the Taliban as quickly as it did.
Speaking during a press briefing after the militant group captured the Afghan capital of Kabul, Milley denied reports that the Biden administration ignored warnings that the security situation would deteriorate quickly as the United States wound down its troops’ presence.
“There was nothing that I or anybody else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 Days,” Milley said.
President Joe Biden on Monday said he stands “squarely behind” his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan with a deadline of Aug. 31 but said “this did unfold more quickly than we anticipated.”
Milley said the United States conducted a “deliberate and responsible drawdown” of troops with a focus on securing the U.S. Embassy and diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, adding that while the collapse was considered a possibility, U.S. intelligence did not indicate it would escalate as quickly as it did.
“I have previously said from this podium and in sworn testimony before Congress, that the intelligence clearly indicated multiple scenarios were possible. One of those was an outright Taliban takeover following a rapid collapse of the Afghan Security Forces and the government. Another was a civil war and a third was a negotiated settlement,” he said. “However, the timeframe of a rapid collapse, that was widely estimated and ranged from weeks, months and even years following our departure.”
Milley and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also emphasized that the key mission currently was to evacuate Americans and at-risk Afghans from Kabul.
“This is a war that I fought in — and I know the country. I know the people, and I know those who fought alongside me,” Austin said. “As I said, we have a moral obligation to help those who helped us.”
Milley added that 5,000 people have already been evacuated and that the situation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul –where Afghan citizens were seen clinging to the wings of U.S. military planes in desperate attempts to flee the city — was now “under control.”
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters in a separate briefing that the U.S. military had increased the number of troops stationed at the airport to 4,500.
“In the past 24 hours, 18 C-17 [Globemaster III] aircraft and one C-130 [Hercules] arrived with around 700 additional troops and some equipment,” Kirby said.
Austin said that there had been “no hostile interactions” with the Taliban at the airport and that lines of communication with Taliban commanders remained open “as they should be.”
Copyright 2021 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI’s prior written consent.
“President Joe Biden on Monday said he stands “squarely behind” his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan with a deadline of Aug. 31
but Biden said “this did unfold more quickly than we anticipated.”
“than we anticipated” So the puppet president anticipated and knew that Afghanistan government would fall if we pulled out.
So in effect the lives lost, lives destroyed and Trillions of dollars spent were all for NOTHING! So it was just another political war game??
What the Hell is wrong with Politicians?? If we must go to war, fight to win then get out or don’t go to war.
It appears that the Taliban were able to freely move back and forth over the border to Pakistan and Pakistan allowed Osama Bin Laden to hide out there after crossing that border that was supposed to be guarded by Pakistan. This went on for years, so can either of these wonderful generals or Biden or anyone in Government explain to the US Citizens why we still send Foreign Aid to Pakistan. To me they do not appear to be our friends.
SO IF our so-called “Military intelligence” couldn’t figure this out. WHY THE HELL ARE THEY STILL EMPLOYED, as its Obvious to anyone with a brain, THAT THEY ARE USELESS!
“There was nothing that I or anybody else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 Days,” Milley said. Excuse me, Sir—but you have been in command for 20 years and you were that blinded by the events taking place upon withdrawal? You’re as incompetent as your Commander-In-Chief.
“This is a war that I fought in — and I know the country. I know the people, and I know those who fought alongside me,” Austin said. Then you, Sir, are absolutely without excuse.
We cannot maintain a strong military with people like this in command. They clearly are incapable and have no business in the positions they are in.
Now we know WHY BIDEN selected him to BE Chairman of the joint chiefs. HE IS AS grossly incompetent as Biden is!
Milley and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin are clueless idiots and ideologies of the communist party. Milley and Austin: “White rage and white supremacy are the greatest threats to our nation”. Hey Milley and Lloyd Austin, “clueless clown communists” like you are the greatest threat to our nation.
Replace competent and experienced military leadership with politician-yes men in your cabinet and it is no surprise that Tali-Biden’s staff was “surprised”.
During a phone call with my brother the other day, he was saying we need to ELIMINATE ALL Generals above 2 stars, 50% of those who are 1 or 2 stars, and 40% of all full bird Colonels… BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL useless hacks!
The Department of Defense and Joint Chief of Staff have devoted too much time and energy on the social engineering, whit supremacy, and the disloyalty of Trump voters to attend to battle and strategic readiness for the fighting forces. It’s not the troops and commanders in the field who failed but the echelon of career officers who give orders but never command.
AND this is why i wouldn’t be shocked to see a MASS EXODUS OF Good people, from the ranks OF our military.. CAUSE THEY ARE SICK TO death of this gross negligence from those in charge
General Millie Vanillie, the Lipsincing commander of self initiated rectal storage of cranial appendage.
At least Millie Vanillie were entertaining!