Pentagon addresses Afghan transfer

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NBC) – The U.S. general leading American forces in Afghanistan relinquished command Monday and left the country.

At the Pentagon, Department of Defense Press Secretary John Kirby said the symbolic end to America’s longest conflict is not defeat but is a transition to a new relationship with Afghan forces.

President Joe Biden has said August 31st will be the formal end to the U.S. military mission. Until then, General Kenneth McKenzie at U.S. Central Command based in Florida said he can authorize airstrikes against the Taliban. But after that, the U.S. mission will shift to counter-terrorism operations against al Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Kirby said, “This is a conflict that is going to be solved politically. And it’s a responsibility that the Afghan people, the Afghan government and Afghan forces now have to be responsible for. They’ll have us helping and supporting them. It’s their responsibility. This isn’t about a defeat, it’s about a transition to a new relationship with Afghan forces.”

Some 2,400 American troops have been killed in Afghanistan and thousands more have been wounded.

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