Two former commanders of Central Command believe the United States is less safe now following the military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan nearly a year ago.
Retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of CENTCOM from 2019-22, and his predecessor, retired Gen. Joseph Votel, the head of CENTCOM from 2016-19, represent the U.S.’s top leaders for the final quarter of the military’s 20 years in Afghanistan. They told Voice of America that they believe the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces combined with the Taliban’s rise to power created a less safe Afghanistan.
FORMER CENTCOM COMMANDER WANTED TROOPS TO STAY IN AFGHANISTAN ‘INDEFINITELY’
“I do not believe we are safer as a result of our withdrawal from Afghanistan,” said McKenzie, who argued the president should have kept a troop presence of roughly 2,500. Votel said, “There’s a lot that we don’t know about the organizations, the terrorist organizations that are left on the ground. … I don’t think we’re more stable or more safe. I think Afghanistan is more unstable and, as a result, that this region is more unstable.”
“At 2,500, we would have kept aircraft at Bagram and at [Hamid Karzai International Airport], and we have kept a contractor base to support that,” McKenzie added. “What we wanted was an elegant solution that was not attainable. We wanted to go to zero militarily yet retain a small diplomatic platform in Afghanistan that would be protected.”
Votel said, “I just don’t buy the idea that we had to pull everybody out.”
Both said the Taliban were able to take over the country given the U.S.’s impending withdrawal, which was a major factor in the Afghan army’s and Ghani government’s collapse.
McKenzie, who was the head of CENTCOM during last year’s withdrawal, initially recommended the U.S. maintain a force presence of 4,500. Then, when the military dropped its level to 2,500 in the final days of the Trump administration, he advised President Joe Biden to at least keep it at those levels, but the president didn’t take McKenzie’s advice.
In the interview with Politico, McKenzie preemptively responded to critics, saying, “I know the criticism: The Taliban are going to come after you, and you’re going to have to beef up your forces. The commander on the ground and I didn’t believe that was necessarily the case. For one thing, at 2,500 we were down to a pretty lean combat capability, not a lot of attack surface there for the Taliban to get at. Two, we would have coupled the 2,500 presence with a strong diplomatic campaign to put pressure on the Taliban.”
The Trump administration agreed to withdraw U.S. forces when it signed the Doha Agreement with the Taliban on Feb. 29, 2020, to ensure they leave by May 1, 2021. Biden decided to extend the presence until Sept. 11, though he then moved it up to the end of August.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
McKenzie called the Doha Agreement the “defeat mechanism” for the military campaign in Afghanistan and said the deal was a “deflating experience” for the Afghan government.
In late July, the Biden administration signed off on an over-the-horizon strike targeting Ayman al Zawahiri, the successor of Osama bin Laden in al Qaeda’s leadership, in Kabul. He had been hiding in Kabul’s Shirpur neighborhood, where senior Taliban leaders reside. Zawahiri’s presence in Afghanistan confirmed a long-held concern that the Taliban would allow a safe haven for al Qaeda or other terrorist organizations.
