What did Gen McKenzie describe the US withdrawal from Afghanistan as?

A. A “strategic move”
B. A “tactical success”
C. A “fatal flaw”
D. A “humanitarian mission”

Explanation

Two years after the chaotic withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s return to power, retired Gen Kenneth McKenzie, who oversaw the operation as chief of Centcom, has publicly expressed regret for the US exit. He referred to the withdrawal as a “fatal flaw” and the “wrong decision“, highlighting its consequences, including the rise of the militant Islamic State group in Afghanistan. However, Gen McKenzie did not address why the US and its allies remained in Afghanistan for an extended period initially. The US’s involvement, which began as a counterterrorism operation after the 9/11 attacks, evolved into its longest war and a complex mixture of military occupation and nation-building. Despite over $2 trillion spent, tens of thousands of lives lost, including American soldiers and over 47,000 Afghan civilians, the outcome is that the Taliban now control Kabul once again. Furthermore, groups like IS and the TTP have been emboldened, and substantial American military equipment has fallen into militants’ hands. This pattern of projecting American military power under the banner of fighting terrorism and promoting democracy has left many countries in ruins, without significant benefits for the American people. The American establishment needs to reconsider its militaristic and exceptionalist tendencies.

Gen McKenzie says he regrets US evacuation from Afghanistan, terms it “wrong decision” and A “fatal flaw”.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News, Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie, the former head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), put the withdrawal from Afghanistan bluntly:

“I believe history is going to view the decision to come out of Afghanistan in the way that we did and the manner that we were directed to come out as a fatal flaw,”

McKenzie said.

Now retired, McKenzie was commander of U.S. Central Command, the combatant command of the Middle East, from March 2019 to April 2022. He oversaw the largest evacuation in U.S. history, evacuating an estimated 124,000 Afghans from the country before the Taliban would take over at the Aug. 31, 2021, deadline.

McKenzie revealed that he has many regrets, including the basic decision to evacuate.

“I have a lot of regrets about how it ended in Afghanistan. I have a regret with the basic decision, which I think was the wrong decision. And I particularly regret that we did not choose to begin to evacuate our people, our embassy personnel, our American citizens and our at-risk Afghans at the time we made the decision to bring in our combat forces. I think that was a serious mistake, and I think that led to the events of August 2021 directly,”

McKenzie said.