US Senate blocks promotion of last American soldier to leave Afghanistan

The U.S. Senate has delayed the promotion of Christopher Donahue, the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan in 2021.

Nominated by President Joe Biden to lead U.S. forces in Europe and Africa, Donahue was set to be promoted to a four-star general.

The Senate’s move comes as former President Donald Trump’s transition team is compiling a list of current and former senior military officers involved in the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Politico reported that Christopher Donahue’s name was among nearly 1,000 officers and military personnel whose promotions were approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee.

However, on Thursday, his name was removed from the list, and his promotion was halted. Currently, Donahue oversees several key military units of the U.S. Army. With the Senate now in recess until December, the review and decision regarding Donahue’s promotion will be postponed.

Donahue was one of the senior American generals who supervised the evacuation process from Afghanistan in 2021.

He was the last U.S. service member to board a plane and leave Kabul Airport. Reports indicate that Donald Trump’s transition team plans to form a commission to review the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

This commission aims to identify individuals directly involved in the decision-making process during the withdrawal. During the U.S. withdrawal, 13 American service members and about 170 Afghan civilians were killed in a suicide bombing at one of the airport gates in Kabul.

The delay in Donahue’s promotion underscores the lingering political and military debates over the Afghanistan withdrawal. As investigations into the evacuation continue, the decision to stall his promotion highlights the ongoing scrutiny of those involved in this historic and controversial operation. The outcome may have broader implications for the U.S. military’s leadership and future strategies.

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