RASC News Agency: Mark Milley, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Army, is poised to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee regarding the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The hearing, slated for today, Tuesday, March 19th, will also feature General Kent McKenzie, the former Commander of the US Army. This marks Milley’s inaugural testimony since relinquishing his position at the close of the preceding calendar year. US lawmakers have summoned Milley to deliver a more discerning evaluation of the US military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
This development follows expressions of remorse from Milley and McKenzie concerning the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. As reported by The Washington Post, these two senior US military officials had advised Biden two years ago to maintain a small presence in Afghanistan rather than execute a complete withdrawal.
The former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff proclaimed last September that the calamitous withdrawal from Afghanistan constituted a “strategic failure” for his nation. Speaking to ABC News at the time, he remarked, “The departure from Afghanistan did not culminate as any of us desired. In a broader context, the conflict concluded in defeat.”
Meanwhile, McKenzie also lamented the withdrawal in 2022 during an interview with NPR, asserting, “That’s something that still weighs heavily on me to this day.”
The convening of this session occurs amid widespread criticism, with Michael McCaul, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, having admonished Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, last month for disrespecting Congress and withholding documents.
