Washington: US military leaders acknowledged on Tuesday that the rapid takeover of the Taliban in Afghanistan took them surprised and expressed concerns about the Islamic regime had not damaged Al-Qaeda.
“We help build a country, but we cannot falsify a nation,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the Senate Armed Service Committee who heard about the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and evacuation.
“The fact that our Afghan Army and our partners were trained only melted – in many cases without firing shots – surprised us,” he said.
“Will be dishonest to claim otherwise.” Austin said the United States has provided Afghan military “with equipment and aircraft and skills to use it.” “Over the years, they often fight bravely,” he said.
“Tens of thousands of Afghan soldiers and police officers died.
But in the end, we could not give them the desire to win.
At least not all of them”, he said.
The Head of the Pentagon said the United States “did not fully understand the depth of corruption and poor leadership in their senior rank.” General Mark Milley, Chair of his own head of staff, said the United States did not have “a spiritual judgment of leadership and will” from the Afghan armed forces.
“We can count all aircraft, trucks and cars and cars and machines and everything,” Milley said.
“But you can’t measure the human heart with the machine.” The general also said the Taliban “was and remained a terrorist organization and they still had not severed the relationship with Al-Qaeda.” I don’t have the illusion we face, “he said.” Still have to be seen or not.
The Taliban can consolidate power or if the country will break the war further, “Milley said.” But we must continue to protect Americans from a terrorist attack from Afghanistan.
A al-Qaida or ISIS reconstitution with aspiration to attack the United States is a very real possibility “, he said.