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Top US general Mark Milley said Wednesday that there was no information that Afghan troops would collapse in just a few days.
“There was nothing I or anyone else saw that showed that this army and this government had collapsed in the 11th,” said Millie, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Told reporters During a press conference with Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin.
His claim contradicts reports that military leaders had information that the Afghan government could collapse rapidly if the US military withdrew from the country. A group of Taliban militants occupied Kabul and the presidential residence on Sunday. They were hit hard by occupying many state capitals, sometimes without firing.
Millie’s remarks have responded to the question that President Joe Biden may have ignored those warnings in order to proceed with the withdrawal.
“I have previously stated on this podium and pre-parliamentary swearing testimony that intelligence clearly shows that multiple scenarios are possible, one of which is the rapid rapid movement of Afghan security forces and government. It was a complete Taliban takeover after the collapse, the other was the civil war and the third was a negotiated settlement, “Millie added. “But the time frame for rapid collapse is widely estimated and extends from our departure to weeks, months, and even years.”
Meanwhile, according to Millie, as of Wednesday, about 4,500 US troops were stationed at Kabul Airport, helping Americans, Afghan interpreters and workers evacuate.
The general said Americans trying to escape Afghanistan had the opportunity to do so, but both he and Austin deployed US troops elsewhere to find the Americans trapped behind the Taliban. I didn’t say that.
At one point, Austin told reporters that Taliban members are now “checking their credentials” for those trying to enter the airport and “allowing them to pass.” The Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan are now designated as global terrorist organizations by several federal agencies and have long been accused of human rights abuses.
However, Austin’s comment said at a press conference Wednesday that Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman violated the agreement with the United States to allow the Taliban to enter Kabul Airport.
“The Taliban have seen reports that, contrary to official statements and commitments to the government, they are preventing Afghans who want to leave the country from arriving at the airport,” Sherman said.
Photos and video footage were also posted online suggesting that Taliban members are attacking people trying to enter the airport on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Separately, the Taliban on Tuesday issued an ominous warning to Sky News that the US military had to leave Afghanistan by September 11, 2021.
Jack phillips
Senior reporter
Jack Phillips is a New York-based reporter for The Epoch Times.
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