General Frank McKenzie, a former commander of US Central Command.
ANKARA:
In an admission of the US failure in the war-torn nation, Frank McKenzie, a former top general who oversaw United States Central Command from 2019 to April 2022, stated that Pakistan was correct about Afghanistan all along.
McKenzie stated to NBC News on Friday, "Pakistanis never believed that we would stay, always imagined that we would depart. You know that? They were correct; we did leave.
He asserted that Pakistan has served as the Taliban's safe haven for the entirety of the 20-year fight and that neither the US nor Pakistan have ever been able to fix this issue.
McKenzie also acknowledged that Washington attempted unsuccessful nation-building in Afghanistan and insisted on using a Western model, which was incorrect.
Despite irritation with the Taliban, the US remains committed to asset discussions for Afghanistan.
"We started taking part in nation-building activities, and while some of those may have been required in a more limited sense to safeguard our interests, the more extensive things we did ultimately probably weren't helpful. They distracted from our efforts, "said he.
"I'm not sure if Afghanistan can be governed or sustained using a Western model. I am aware that Afghanistan can be sustainably run and governed. However, we didn't pay enough attention to the actual situation in Afghanistan "explained he.
According to McKenzie, ignoring the Afghan reality would be expensive and "hubris on our part and the part of the international community."
He continued by saying that on the day of the contentious departure from Afghanistan, when Afghans died attempting to cling on to the jet, he was "proud of" American men and women who were on the ground. He described it as "regrettable" that the event had been so heavily politicized.
Although McKenzie acknowledged that expelling Afghan allies from the nation is a very "slow" procedure, she made no guarantees regarding this "moral commitment".
The senior US general concurred that Afghanistan had been a bipartisan failure for four US administrations over a period of twenty years and added that it had involved "military and diplomatic failures."
He emphasised that it is still too early to predict what will happen in Afghanistan and that the war-torn nation continues to be a breeding ground for threats against the US. Extremist organisations supported by the Taliban will present fresh threats to US leadership, he predicted.
After a 20-year war, the US indicated that its withdrawal from Afghanistan would be complete on August 30, 2021.
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