Biden Ignored Commanders' Stance When Deciding On Afghanistan Troop Pullout - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th April, 2021) Top US military commanders were recommending against a full withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, advising to try to cement a peace agreement first, but US President Joe Biden did not share their concerns, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of US forces in the middle East, Gen. Austin Miller, who leads NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin all recommended retaining the current force of 2,500 troops for the sake of security, the newspaper said on Saturday.

Mr. Austin and Gen. Milley found out about Biden's decision on troop withdrawal on April 6, The Wall Street Journal said.

Biden was set on pulling US forces out by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Earlier this week, Biden officially announced that the 2,500 American troops in Afghanistan would be withdrawn by September 11. The pullout is expected to start by May 1.

On Wednesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance would begin troop withdrawal from Afghanistan on May 1 and would wrap it up within several months.

The US Defense Department does not rule out the possibility of deploying additional capabilities to Afghanistan for the US drawdown, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday.