July 14, 2021
WASHINGTON -- Statement attributable to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley:
"Twenty years ago, we committed our sons and daughters in uniform to a mission in Afghanistan in order to keep America safe from those who harmed us and placed our Nation at peril. Today in Afghanistan, alongside our Allies and partners, we are responsibly reducing our military presence.
I am enormously proud of the thousands of men and women who served and sacrificed in Afghanistan and the families who stood shoulder to shoulder with them each and every day. The sacrifices they made in Afghanistan prevented attacks on America for two decades.
On behalf of the Joint Force, we personally thank General Miller who fought for years in Afghanistan since the beginning and ultimately led a safe and synchronized retrograde, while ensuring the support of the Afghan national security forces as they worked to create a better future for the Afghan people.
We will continue to pursue the enemies of our country. From outside the borders of Afghanistan, we will seek out and eliminate terrorist threats. From inside the country, the U.S. will maintain a security force to protect the U.S. diplomatic mission. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul is vital to continue support to the Afghan people.
Our vital national interest in Afghanistan remains the same, to deny safe haven to terrorist threats against our homeland. We are and will always remain prepared to protect America for terrorist threats."
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