Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he had not heard of predictions that the Afghan government would collapse in 11 days.
"There is a report that there was a warning of a rapid collapse [of the Afghan government]," Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a briefing on the 18th local time.
He explained that there have been several scenarios, including an outright Taliban takeover of power, civil war, and settlement of an agreement following the rapid collapse of the Afghan government and security forces, but the rapid collapse was expected to take weeks, months or even years after the withdrawal of U.S. forces.
"Neither nor have I seen anyone suggesting that the government and military will collapse in 11 days."
"The Afghan security forces were capable. They were trained to defend the country, and they had the size and capacity," said Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "It's a matter of will and leadership."
Milley's remarks are interpreted to refute reports that US intelligence agencies, including the CIA, have warned of a rapid collapse of the Afghan government.
President Joe Biden also admitted the misjudgment in his address to the public on the 16th, saying, "It happened sooner than I expected."
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who was present at the conference, said that the US military in Kabul is focusing on ensuring airport safety, so it is difficult to expand its mission to ensure that civilians move to the airport.
He added that the U.S. military does not have the capacity to move civilians to the airport on a large scale.
There is an escape procession in Afghanistan, but it is known that it is difficult to reach the airport through the Taliban-controlled checkpoint.
(Photo = Getty Images Korea)