Pentagon leaders revealed during a Senate hearing on Tuesday that they recommended President Joe Biden should leave 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, contradicting the president’s words that no one told him to do so.
“I recommended that we maintain 2,500 troops in Afghanistan,” Central Command commander Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie said during the hearing.
“I recommended that we maintain 2,500 troops in Afghanistan,” Gen. Frank McKenzie said.
2 top-ranking US generals said they recommended to President Biden he keep US troops in #Afghanistan. https://t.co/ARppMiOmOw
— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) September 29, 2021
“I also had a view that the withdrawal of those forces would lead inevitably to the collapse of the Afghan military forces and eventually the Afghan government,” McKenzie added.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley also stated he believed there should be 2,500 troops in Afghanistan.
On August 19th…
ABC NEWS: “But your top military advisors warned against withdrawing on this timeline. They wanted you to keep about 2,500 troops.”
BIDEN: “No, they didn’t. It was split. Tha– that wasn’t true. That wasn’t true.”
WATCH ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/VxIEEJLvR9
— Chad Gilmartin (@ChadGilmartinCA) September 28, 2021
The contradicting views pointed out that both the military leaders and Biden cannot both be right. At least one of the two views is inaccurate.
The Senate hearing has once again brought attention to the disastrous departure from Afghanistan that left 13 soldiers dead in a suicide bombing, left Americans behind and handed over Afghanistan to the Taliban.
