The top United States general in Afghanistan is set to step down, as U.S. troops continue to withdraw from the country.
Gen. Austin Scott Miller will leave his post on Monday, and his command authorities will be given to Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the leader of the U.S. Central Command, according to a Department of Defense official. Miller will relinquish his responsibility in a ceremony at the top U.S. military headquarters.
He is the war’s longest-serving senior U.S. officer, having served in his position since August 2018.
BIDEN ANNOUNCES AFGHANISTAN MISSION WILL END BY AUG. 31, SOONER THAN PLANNED
The troops will finish leaving Afghanistan on Aug. 31, President Joe Biden announced last Thursday. The date is 12 days earlier than his initial end date of Sept. 11, 2021, the 20 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
“When I announced our drawdown in April, I said we would be out by September, and we are on track to meet that target. Our military mission in Afghanistan will conclude on Aug. 31,” Biden said, adding “speed was safety.”
The military announced last Monday that it had completed 90% of its duties related to a troop withdrawal.
For the Taliban, Biden’s withdrawal decision is viewed as a chance for them to reassert themselves, following a Biden administration policy review that many observers predicted would culminate in an extension of the U.S. troop presence in order to support the talks between the Taliban and the government in Kabul.
The president said the U.S. has given Afghans “all the tools” they need to fend off the Taliban during the announcement last week, though many allies and partners have expressed doubts.
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U.S. forces left Bagram Air Base this month, once the headquarters for the Afghanistan operation. About 650 troops will remain behind, mostly to help secure the U.S. Embassy in nearby Kabul.
