GOP senator blocks promotion of general involved in Afghanistan withdrawal, sources say
Promoted to three-star general in 2021 US withdraws troops from Afghanistan Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin has put the plan on hold, three sources familiar with the move confirmed to CBS News on Saturday.
Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue is expected to be promoted to the four-star rank and assume command of U.S. Army forces in Europe. However, despite the recommendation he received from the Pentagon, he was not included in a list of nearly 1,000 promotions presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week.
Mullin has had his promotion suspended. Two sources familiar with the situation told CBS News the move is intended to keep Donahue involved in the promotion while the new Republican-controlled Congress and President-elect Donald Trump are involved in the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
Behind the scenes, the Army and other allies are working to convince Congress to move forward and lift the blockade, which appears to be politically motivated, sources said.
Alison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images
period election campaignTrump often mentioned that he was surprised that President Biden did not fire any officers over the chaotic withdrawal.
Military officers implement U.S. policy, not make it. The Trump administration in February 2020 broker a deal Withdrawal from Afghanistan with the Taliban, but Mr. Biden who decided The withdrawal comes despite the Taliban violating the terms of the U.S. deal.
Donahue is the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan in 2021. During the withdrawal process, the United States evacuated approximately 125,000 people, including 6,000 Americans, and dozens of Afghans and 13 American service members were killed. in a suicide bombing Outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai Airport.
The United States underestimated how quickly the Taliban could seize Kabul, and well-documented U.S. logistical and planning failures have been the focus of multiple internal investigations at the Pentagon, State Department and Congress.
A detailed State Department report Released last year It was found that “inadequate” planning, poor communication and an inability to grasp “the scale and scope of the operation” led to chaos in the operation.
CBS News reached out to Mullin’s office but did not receive a response. It’s unclear whether Trump is aware of the hold.
contributed to this report.
