Austin Scott Miller, top US general in Afghanistan, steps down as US military withdrawal from the country nears completion

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General Austin Scott Miller transferred his authority to General Kenneth McKenzie, head of the US Central Command, in a ceremony in Kabul on Monday.

The transfer of command marks a major milestone in the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan and comes days after President Joe Biden announced that the full withdrawal would be completed by the end of August.

Miller, who was the longest-serving U.S. commander during nearly two decades of U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan, has repeatedly voiced concerns about the pace of the Taliban’s territorial gains and the potential for civil war in the country once the U.S. military campaign is over .

As he relinquished leadership responsibility, Miller noted the escalating violence from Taliban attacks and stressed that this would not help to achieve a political settlement with the Afghan government.

violence

“I’m one of the US military officers who had the opportunity to speak to the Taliban,” Miller said. “And I told them… it is important that the military side create the conditions for a peaceful and political solution in Afghanistan. We can all see the violence that is going on across the country. But we know that with this violence what? very difficult to achieve is a political agreement. “

The Biden government is starting to work with other countries to determine what the Taliban will get if they get involved in a political process and what costs they will pay if they don’t get involved, a senior administrative official told CNN on Monday.

The effort is part of a new chapter in US diplomatic engagement in Afghanistan that comes when the Taliban make sustained gains, launch attacks and occupy territories in the country.

The US special envoy for reconciliation in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, will lead these efforts and has planned meetings with other countries in the coming weeks to discuss how to deal with the Taliban, the State Department said over the weekend.

“During his trip, Ambassador Khalilzad will continue to pursue resolute diplomacy and seek a peace agreement between the Islamic Republic and the Taliban. As the United States continues to support the peace process, he will work with all parties and with regional and international stakeholders to advance consensus on a political solution, “the State Department announced.” Political adjustments from all sides remain urgent. “

Khalilzad will visit Qatar, Pakistan and Uzbekistan, the announcement said. He will also meet with officials from Russia, China and European countries, the senior administrative official said.

Biden urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Khalilzad to “overload” US diplomacy with Afghanistan, State Department spokesman Ned Price said last week.

The Foreign Ministry is still in direct contact with the Taliban and has not given any details of what, if anything, would cause them to break off this dialogue.

Biden admitted last week that the Taliban were now the strongest since 2001, but added that he “trusts the capabilities of the Afghan military, which is better trained and better equipped” than the Taliban.

“You have the capacity. You have the armed forces. You have the equipment. The question is, will they do it,” Biden said of the Afghan government.

At the ceremony on Monday, McKenzie expressed his confidence in the Afghan armed forces and pledged continued U.S. support for both the military, the country’s government and the people.

“I will continue to exercise authority over the conduct of all counterterrorism operations necessary to protect the homeland from threats from Afghanistan and will continue to lead US efforts to provide options for logistical, financial and technical support to the Afghan armed forces to develop.” our retrograde is complete, “said McKenzie.” The most important thing that remains is our support for the Afghan people and their armed forces. We trust in you. We are confident that you have what it takes to protect your country. “

CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Chandelis Duster and Nicole Gaouette contributed to this report.

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