General Miller hands over command of Afghanistan to CENTCOM chief

US Forces commander in Afghanistan General Scott Miller officially handed over command of US and NATO troops in the country to the commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) Marine General Frank McKenzie, at a ceremony in Kabul on Monday.

Addressing the ceremony, Miller stated that the US will continue to support the government and the Afghan Security and Defense Forces (ANSDF) after the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan.

“It is important that the military sides set the conditions for peaceful and political settlement in Afghanistan. We can all see the violence is taking place across the country but we know with that violence that would be very difficult to achieve is a political settlement,” Miller said.

“What I tell the Taliban is they are responsible too. The violence that is going on is against the will of the Afghan people of Afghanistan and it needs to stop,” he added.

McKenzie, who officially took authority of US forces in Afghanistan, stated that the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan does not mean a cutting of ties, indeed, it is the beginning of a new chapter in the two country’s relations.

“We retain a protective posture that enable us to do the following things; first of all maintaining an ongoing diplomatic presence; second, support the Afghan security forces, people and government; and finally, prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a safe haven for the terrorism that threatens the US homeland and the homelands of our friends and neighbors,” McKenzie said.

Meanwhile, NSA Hamdullah Mohib said that the government is trying to fill the security vacuum that has been created as a result of the withdrawal of international forces from the country.

“The vacuum was created as a result of the retrograde but we are trying to fill that gap; the strength of ANDSF is able to deal with some of the issues immediately; we have been working on how do we cover those gaps that exists,” Mohib said.