Pentagon Insists Taliban Victory Isn’t Inevitable in Afghanistan
- Drawdown of U.S. forces is proceeding to plan, Austin says
- U.S. has closed a base, flown out 60 planes worth of materiel
This article is for subscribers only.
The fall of the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan to the Taliban isn’t inevitable after American forces leave the country in the coming months, top Pentagon officials insisted on Thursday.
While a Taliban victory isn’t a “foregone conclusion,” the Pentagon is considering ways to continue training Afghan government forces in third-country locations after U.S. troops leave, General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at a news conference with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.