The United States acknowledged defeat in the war in Afghanistan

“The war in Afghanistan was a strategic defeat for the United States,” Gen. Mark Millie, chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee yesterday.

He added: “But this failure is not something we have suffered in the last 20 days or 20 months. In addition, a series of bad strategic decisions led to this failure.

He said US forces were able to fight al-Qaeda but could not prevent the Taliban from coming to power.

“It is clear to all of us that the war in Afghanistan did not end as we wanted and that the Taliban are in power in Kabul,” he said.