Afghanistan pullout damaged US credibility with allies and enemies, says top general Mark Milley

Comments come after hasty withdrawal is pilloried by UK and European politicians

The chaos that erupted as the US withdrew from Afghanistan and the country fell to the Taliban adversely affected US credibility with both its allies and its enemies, the top US general has admitted.

Gen Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, agreed with the assertion made by GOP Sen Roger Wicker during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, that US allies and enemies around the world were “reviewing” the state of the US’s position around the world following the rapid defeat of the US-backed Afghan government.

"I think that our credibility with allies and partners around the world, and with adversaries, is being intensely reviewed by them to see which way this is going to go,” Mr Milley said in response to Mr Wicker.

“And I think that ‘damaged’ is one word that could be used, yes,” the general continued, referring to the image of the US around the world.

His comments were contradicted by the defence secretary Lloyd Austin, a retired four-star general. Mr Austin said that he believed the image of the United States was untarnished following the exit from Kabul.

“I think our credibility remains solid,” said Mr Austin.

.@SenatorWicker hammers Gen. Mark Milley, Sec. of Defense Lloyd Austin, and the Biden Administration on their handling of Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/3WGnqBUz0Y

— MRCTV (@mrctv) September 28, 2021

The US faced withering criticism from allies – including politicians in the UK and the EU – as well as adversaries such as China, which has said that the “hasty” withdrawal left open the possibility that Afghanistan would become a safe haven for terrorist groups again.

Conservative MP Tom Tugenhadt, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan himself, gave a moving speech in front of the House of Commons in which he decried Mr Biden and other US officials’ criticism of the former Afghan national army as shameful.

“To see [Biden] call into question the courage of men I fought with, to claim that they ran, is shameful. Those who have never fought for the colours they fly should be careful about criticising those who have,” he said.

Questions about US credibility around the world have largely been echoed by conservatives and right-leaning newspaper columnists, including Bret Stephens of The New York Times, while defenders of the decision to end America’s longest-running war have contended that no exit could have been possible without problems.

The criticism has found a home in some liberal circles as well, however, especially surrounding a US drone strike in Kabul that killed 10 civilians, including seven children. Some have accused the Pentagon of attempting to cover up the deaths after initially claiming that those killed were Isis-K militants. Critics of the war have pointed to the strike as a final reminder of how the use of US military force can have unintended but distastrous consequences.