Revealed: Mark Milley was given paper calling for 'complete US withdrawal' from Afghanistan

20 March 2024

When the Taliban recaptured Afghanistan in August 2021, many pro-Donald Trump Republicans were quick to blame the Biden Administration — often failing to mention that President Joe Biden was essentially following the plan for withdrawal that had been agreed upon when Trump was in office.

According to Mike Brest — a reporter for the conservative Washington Examiner — former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley was, in November 2020, "given a piece of paper that called for the withdrawal of U.S. forces in Somalia and Afghanistan."

In an article published on March 20, Brest explains, "Milley, who has since retired as a general in the Army, told lawmakers that he received the note days after Trump fired then-Secretary of Defense Mark Esper in the aftermath of the election. The piece of paper, he told lawmakers on the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, (March 19), had the president's signature on it and called for the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Somalia by December 15, 2020, and from Afghanistan by January 15, 2021."

Brest adds that "roughly a week later," Milley "received a new order from then-National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, which called for the U.S. military to reduce its troop presence to 2500."

According to Brest, Milley didn't reveal, during his testimony, who gave him the note calling for total U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

After Biden became president, he went ahead with the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country.

Brest notes, "The House Foreign Affairs Committee is investigating the conclusion of the U.S.'s war in Afghanistan. Milley and (retired Gen. Frank) McKenzie's appearance in front of the committee marked their first times testifying on Capitol Hill since their retirements."

Read the Washington Examiner's full report at this link.

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