WASHINGTON

The US-led war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, launched after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, was a "strategic failure," a senior military officer said on Tuesday.

"At the end of 20 years, we, the military helped build an army, a state where we could not forge a nation, the enemy occupied Kabul, the overthrow of the government occurred in the military we supported for two decades faded away.

"That is a strategic failure," former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman retired Gen. Mark Milley said during his testimony at the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing.

Former commander of US Central Command retired Gen. Kenneth McKenzie also testified about the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Milley said the US military provided hope for 20 years to the Afghan people and "unprecedented opportunity" to millions.

"In the final days, we gave 130,000 people their lives and freedom at very high cost and most importantly, we protected the United States from terrorist attack from Afghanistan, which was our original mission," he added.

In 2021, US President Joe Biden announced full US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that triggered the conflict.

"I’ve concluded it’s time to end America’s longest war," Biden said, adding: "It’s time for American troops to come home."

Turning to the 13 fallen American soldiers and approximately 170 Afghan civilians at the Abbey Gate outside Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 26, 2021, Milley said he is before the Congress "voluntarily" to help the families of the fallen.

"The 13 fallen at Abbey Gate, and the thousands of fallen and tens of thousands of wounded — and countless other members who suffer the invisible wounds of war — to help them get answers," he added.

'Don't know how many Americans were left behind'

Milley said the withdrawal lays at the feet of US State Department and White House, rather than the military.

On Aug. 14, the non-combatant evacuation operation (NEO) decision was made by the Department of State and the US military "alerted, marshaled, mobilized and rapidly deployed faster than any military in the world could ever do."

"It is my assessment that that decision came too late," he added.

Milley told the Congress that he was "not in favor of a unilateral withdrawal of US forces because of my assessment of the associated costs and risks."

"The fundamental tension facing the president, in fact two presidents, was that no one could satisfactorily explain when or even if those conditions would ever be met.

"And if we stayed indefinitely, an open war would likely begin with the Taliban again, with increased risk of additional casualties," he said.

Asked how many Americans and Afghan allies were killed, or left behind, during the withdrawal, Milley said: "'ll be candid, I don't know how many Americans were left behind, because the starting number was never clear."