The Biden administration’s Afghanistan withdrawal was a masterclass in denial, with General Mark Milley peddling the fiction that Kabul’s fall was a sudden, unforeseeable eleven-day collapse, as Just the News reports. His claims, echoed by Joe Biden and Jen Psaki, clash with a mountain of evidence showing the Taliban’s steady advance over the months. This wasn’t a surprise; it was a failure to face reality.
Biden’s April 14, 2021, “Go-to-Zero” order triggered a U.S. military withdrawal, setting the stage for a Taliban takeover that unfolded over months, not days. By mid-June 2021, intelligence assessments warned the Afghan government could collapse within six months to a year. Milley’s insistence on an eleven-day shock ignores the slow-motion disaster that was already underway.
As early as April 13, 2021, the Taliban controlled 77 districts, while the Afghan government held 129, with 194 contested, according to The Long War Journal. By May 18, Taliban control grew to 86 districts, surpassing the government’s 98 by June 16. The numbers don’t lie -- Milley’s narrative does.
By July 9, 2021, projections showed the Taliban seizing 18 strategic districts, isolating provincial capitals. Milley’s claim, “Nobody called it, eleven days in August,” rings hollow when Afghan Colonel Salim Faqiri noted the collapse “started months before.” The general’s podium bravado couldn’t rewrite the battlefield’s truth.
July 21 saw five provincial capitals teetering on collapse, with Lashkar Gah and Kandahar under severe pressure by July 30. Bill Roggio warned mid-July that the Afghan government might not outlast the summer. Yet, Milley clung to his “no one predicted” mantra, dodging accountability.
On Aug. 1, an imminent cascade of provincial capital collapses was clear, with Kunduz’s fall serving as a stark wake-up call. A U.S. intelligence assessment on August 3 predicted Kabul could fall within weeks. Milley’s “very, very good” intelligence somehow missed this glaring trajectory.
By Aug. 9, the Taliban was poised to strike Kabul with little warning, and by Aug. 13, six of seven key indicators signaled the capital’s imminent fall. Milley told Chris Whipple the intelligence predicted a collapse around Thanksgiving or Christmas. His timeline was off by months, not days.
Kabul fell on Aug. 15, 2021, the same day the non-combatant evacuation operation was declared -- far too late. General Frank McKenzie admitted, “I did not see it happening in eleven days in August.” The Biden administration’s rosy projections crumbled as the Taliban marched in.
Biden claimed, “The consensus was that it was highly unlikely that in eleven days they’d collapse.” But a mid-June intelligence report predicted a six-month collapse window, and by July 30, the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction called the situation “bleak.” The White House’s spin was pure fantasy.
The Biden administration hyped the Afghan security forces as 300,000 strong, with Milley inflating the number to 325,000–350,000. Evidence suggested a far smaller force, gutted by surrenders and desertions, as 21 districts and nine provinces fell between June 18 and June 21. Milley’s math was as reliable as his predictions.
General Austin “Scottie” Miller told the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) the situation was “deteriorating” and “coming soon.” Unlike Milley, Miller saw the collapse looming in the fall, not a sudden summer shock. The disconnect between generals exposes a leadership void.
HFAC’s September 2024 report, “Willful Blindness,” reviewed 20,000 pages of documents and 18 interviews but glossed over Milley’s missteps, falsely claiming generals predicted a rapid collapse. A letter to Jake Sullivan echoed this unsupported claim. The report’s omissions reek of political cover.
Milley’s reward for misjudging Afghanistan? A Princeton professorship and a cushy JPMorgan Chase advisory role in 2024. Biden’s pardon on his last full day in office in January of this year smells like a parting gift for loyal spin. The American public deserves better than this cozy insider game.
An anonymous U.S. intelligence official revealed, “Leaders were told by the military it would take no time at all for the Taliban to take everything.” Yet, Milley’s public denials painted a different picture, shielding the administration’s failures. His legacy is one of deflection, not leadership.
The Afghan withdrawal’s chaos wasn’t a surprise but a failure of foresight, with Milley at the helm of the fiction. As Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reviews the Pentagon’s missteps, the truth about Milley’s role must not be buried. Conservative values demand accountability, not excuses, for this national disgrace.
