Top US Military Officials to Face Questioning About Afghanistan Withdrawal 

Top U.S. military officials are set to face questioning Tuesday about the end of the war in Afghanistan and the chaotic final weeks leading up to the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country after 20 years.  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and the head of U.S. Central Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie are due to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee for a hearing about the end of military operations in Afghanistan as well as the military’s future counterterrorism plans.  The Pentagon has defended the withdrawal operation, which included an evacuation effort that brought more than 120,000 people out of Afghanistan as the Taliban seized control of the country once more.  The operation featured many chaotic days at the Kabul international airport, including a suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members and 169 Afghans.  The officials are likely to face questioning about the Biden administration’s planning for the withdrawal effort and the decision to end the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, as well as specific events from those final days such as an airstrike that killed 10 civilians. Austin, Milley and McKenzie are all due to appear again Wednesday before the House Armed Services Committee.  Some information for this report came from the Associated Press and Reuters