Top US general in Afghanistan relinquishes command

Kenneth Mackenzie will assume authority from four-star General Scott Miller as US ends its 20-year war in Afghanistan.

The top US general in Afghanistan relinquished command on Monday at an official ceremony in the capital, the latest symbolic gesture bringing America’s longest war nearer to its end. At a time when the Taliban are making sweeping advances across the country, General Austin “Scott” Miller – the highest-ranked officer on the ground in Afghanistan – handed command to General Kenneth McKenzie, an AFP news agency correspondent at the Kabul ceremony reported. Miller has been in Afghanistan since 2018, but in May was charged by commander-in-chief President Joe Biden with organising the final withdrawal of US troops, to be completed by the end of August.