Top U.S. general says no attack against U.S. forces in Afghanistan since drawdown started

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley testifies before the House Armed Services Committee during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the United States, on Feb. 26, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said the U.S. military would deploy six additional B-52 bombers and 12 F-18 fighters to offer contingency support during the withdrawal.

WASHINGTON, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan Taliban had not launched any attack against U.S. and coalition forces since the drawdown began, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said on Thursday.

"There have been no attacks against U.S. and coalition forces since the retrograde began on or about May 1, and that is also consistent for the past year," Milley said during a joint press conference with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

Meanwhile, he noted that the Taliban continued its attacks against the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).

At least 11 Afghan security forces members were killed in militants' attacks in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday night, Afghan authorities confirmed on Thursday.

Both Milley and Austin reaffirmed that U.S. assistance for the ANSF would continue after the withdrawal. "We hope through our continued support, the Afghan security forces can be effective ... but we expect that this will be a challenge for them," said Austin.

Milley told reporters that the primary objective for the U.S. military in Afghanistan at this point is to complete a safe and coordinated withdrawal no later than September.

The handover ceremony of a key operating base of the U.S. forces is held at Camp Antonik in Helmand province, Afghanistan, May 2, 2021. (Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense/Handout via Xinhua)

According to Milley, a military base in Helmand, Afghanistan had been closed, and approximately 60 C-17 transport aircraft had departed with various equipment. "Over 1,300 pieces of equipment have been transferred either to the Defense Logistics Agency for destruction or to the ANSF for their use."

The top general said the U.S. military would deploy six additional B-52 bombers and 12 F-18 fighters to offer contingency support during the withdrawal.

The military earlier had sent B-52 bombers and extended the deployment of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier to the region to increase force protection. The White House said last week that elements of an Army Ranger Task Force would also temporarily deploy to Afghanistan.

President Joe Biden in April announced the withdrawal would begin on May 1, the deadline date for a full U.S. withdrawal under an agreement reached between the former Donald Trump administration and the Afghan Taliban.

The Taliban had warned of consequences if the Biden administration fails to follow through that deadline.

About 3,500 U.S. forces and 7,000 NATO troops will be withdrawn before Sept. 11, the day which is the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that drew the United States into the war in Afghanistan.