US Troops Near Formal Afghanistan Withdrawal, General Miller: Possibility of Civil War Looms

The United States may complete its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in a matter of days, according to US officials. The news makes an important week in President Joe Biden's campaign to end the US' longest war even as US military officials caution the country could devolve into civil war. A formal conclusion to the US military retrograde would mark a remarkably swift end to a process that President Joe Biden initiated in April when he commanded the military to leave by September 11.

Behind US troops, they will leave Afghanistan's security forces grappling to defend their nation from a possible Taliban offensive. The still-raging war this week with Afghanistan forces is merely two hours north of Kabul. It is drawing nearer daily.

Before the US Forces Withdraw

According to the top United States military commander in Afghanistan, security across the nation is deteriorating mere weeks before the last American forces withdraw. Gen. Scott Miller stated that recent gains by the Taliban are very concerning, even if unprecedented.

The American top general in Afghanistan on Tuesday provided a sobering evaluation of the nation's aggravating security situation as the US winds down its so-called "forever war." Miller remarked the rapid loss of districts around the nation to the Taliban -- many with remarkable strategic value -- is concerning, reported AP.

For almost two decades, Bagram Airfield was the center of US military power in Afghanistan, a sprawling mini-city behind fences and blast walls merely an hour's drive north of Kabul. First, it was a symbol of the US drive to avenge the 9/11 attacks. Then, it became a struggle for a way through the ensuing war with the Taliban, reported NBC Philadelphia.

According to Miller, the country could collapse into civil war following the full American military drawdown. Addressing a press conference in Kabul, he said that civil war is certainly a path that could be imagined and should be a concern for the world.

As many as a thousand US troops could remain in the nation following the formal withdrawal to assist in securing the US Embassy in Kabul and the city's airport, according to a senior administration official. It was not made clear the duration when NATO troops will remain. A defense official said that this week could be important in the withdrawal and end of the retrograde process.

At a small combat outpost in Kapisa Province, northeast of Kabul, a concerned commander led his gunmen toward approaching Taliban combatants. The outpost came under full attack seconds later.

Miller said that in terms of security, the situation is currently not ideal. He also noted that civil war is a possibility the way things are going. He said, "That should be a concern to the world," reported The Wall Street Journal.