Commander of US troops in Afghanistan stepped down
General Austin Scott Miller, commander of US forces and NATO's Resolute Support mission, hands over his command to US Navy General Kenneth McKenzie at a ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan on July 12, 2021. via REUTERS - HCNR PRESS OFFICE
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2 min
The withdrawal of American troops continues in Afghanistan.
It will be officially completed on August 31, as Joe Biden reported last week.
But the head of the American and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General Austin Scott Miller, did not wait for the deadline set by the White House: he left office on Monday, July 12.
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With our correspondent in Washington
,
Anne Corpet
"
The Afghan people will be in my heart and in my mind for the rest of my life,
" General Austin Scott Miller said at the small ceremony after his departure to Kabul.
And he added: "
Our job now is not to forget those who made the sacrifice of their lives here
."
Austin Scott Miller was appointed to Kabul in 2018: he is the longest-serving U.S. commander throughout the nearly two decades of U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan.
He has repeatedly expressed his concern about the risk of civil war in the country once the US military campaign is over.
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To read also:
Afghanistan: the fear of a civil war is growing
His departure symbolizes, before the official deadline, the end of the mission of the American soldiers deployed in the country: 90% of the troops have already left Afghanistan.
The Americans still present will now be commanded by General Kenneth McKenzie, head of the central command of the army and responsible for American military operations in some twenty countries around the world.
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