The top US general in Afghanistan will step back on Monday. Austin Miller hands over command at a ceremony in the capital, Kabul. That is seen as a symbolic end to the United States’ two-decade military mission in the conflict-torn country.
Miller becomes the last U.S. four-star general to the command from Afghanistan. After leaving as mission leader, General Kenneth McKenzie is mainly in charge. As head of the ‘Central Command’ of the armed forces, he directs American troops from Florida in several conflict zones.
Miller’s departure comes at a sensitive time. The US has been fighting the Taliban’s Muslim extremists for the past twenty years. Unfortunately, they are now on the rise again. Still, the US withdrawal continues. It should be completed by the end of August.
General McKenzie flew to Kabul for the occasion. He stressed that his country continues to support the Afghan security forces. “It will be very different from before; I’m not going to downplay that,” the top soldier told the press. He also acknowledged that the Taliban appears to push for a “military solution” to the conflict in their country. However, there seems to be little movement in the peace talks with the jihadists.
McKenzie can still order airstrikes to help local allies for now. However, he emphasizes that the emphasis will later be on the fight against terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda and Islamic State. The US wants to prevent terrorists from using Afghanistan as a base, as happened in the run-up to the attacks on American targets of September 11, 2001.
Not all Americans are leaving Afghanistan. Rear Admiral Peter Vasely is put in charge of a new security mission. It deals with the security of diplomatic posts and the airport. It is unusual for such a role to fall to someone of such high rank, but according to a senior US defence official, the situation in Afghanistan is “unique”.
The 60-year-old General Miller also experienced personally how dangerous the work in Afghanistan can be. In 2018, an Afghan bodyguard started shooting when the American was visiting Kandahar province. The gunman killed a powerful police chief standing near the general. Several Americans were injured, but Miller himself was unharmed.
