{"id":54486,"date":"2021-04-30T06:19:19","date_gmt":"2021-04-30T06:19:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/04\/30\/pentagon-preparing-for-taliban-attacks-during-us-withdrawal\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:41:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:41:22","slug":"pentagon-preparing-for-taliban-attacks-during-us-withdrawal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2021\/04\/30\/pentagon-preparing-for-taliban-attacks-during-us-withdrawal\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon preparing for Taliban attacks during US withdrawal from Afghanistan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The Pentagon is preparing for possible Taliban attacks on U.S. and coalition forces as they withdraw from Afghanistan, a prospect that complicates the outlook for winding down America\u2019s longest war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">May 1 was the date all U.S. and other foreign forces were to have departed Afghanistan under a February 2020 deal between the Taliban and the Trump administration. As part of that agreement, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/\" target=_blank>the Taliban <\/a>halted attacks on U.S. troops, and none has been killed since then. But the Taliban said it will consider the United States to be in violation of the agreement for missing the deadline for full withdrawal. Their representatives have been vague about whether they intend to attack starting May 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Joe Biden\u2019s decision to proceed with a final but delayed withdrawal adds a new element of security risk as the remaining 2,500 to 3,500 American troops, along with about 7,000 coalition troops and thousands of contractors, begin departing. Biden has said all will be gone by Sept. 11, the date of the 2001 terrorist attacks that prompted the U.S. to invade Afghanistan in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have to assume that this drawdown will be opposed,\u201d Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Tuesday in explaining why Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin decided to keep an aircraft carrier in the Middle East and to move <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/04\/23\/navy-carrier-air-force-b-52s-army-rangers-to-help-protect-afghanistan-pullout-officials-say\/\" target=_blank>at least four B-52 bombers and portions of an Army Ranger task force <\/a>to the region as a precaution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt would be irresponsible for us not to assume that this drawdown and forces drawing down \u2014 both American and from our NATO allies \u2014 could be attacked by the Taliban,\u201d Kirby added.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/04\/25\/top-us-general-in-afghanistan-says-military-begins-closing-down-operations\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6565431.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Top US general in Afghanistan says military begins closing down operations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The U.S. military and NATO would be shipping some military equipment out of Afghanistan while deciding what would remain behind with the Afghan Defense and Security Force, said Gen. Austin Miller.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters traveling with him Thursday that the pullout is \u201ccomplex and not without risk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The military typically plans for worst-case scenarios to try to avoid being caught by surprise. The withdrawal from Afghanistan involves ground and air movements of troops, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/04\/22\/us-troops-in-afghanistan-begin-packing-gear-in-pullout-prep\/\" target=_blank>supplies and equipment <\/a>that could be vulnerable to attack. For security reasons, withdrawal details are not being made public, but the White House and several defense officials confirmed Thursday that the drawdown has begun. Defense officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive movements, said that in recent days some troops \u2014 described as \u201cdozens\u201d \u2014 and military equipment have left the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The State Department also is taking precautions. On Tuesday, it instructed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/04\/27\/state-department-orders-drawdown-at-kabul-embassy-as-us-troops-leave-afghanistan\/\" target=_blank>all embassy personnel in Kabul to depart <\/a>unless their jobs require them to be in Afghanistan. The order went well beyond the usual curtailment of staffers for security and safety reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even the most seasoned American analysts of the Afghan conflict are unsure what to expect of the Taliban. Bruce Riedel, a Middle East analyst at the Brookings Institution and former CIA analyst, wrote this week that it\u2019s unclear whether the insurgents will attempt to disrupt the withdrawal, but he says they may escalate the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seth Jones, a counterterrorism and Afghanistan expert as director of the international security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the Pentagon is wise to prepare for attacks, although he thinks the Taliban is likely to show restraint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey just want us to go,\u201d he said in an interview. \u201cAnd anything that starts to complicate that at least runs the risk of backfiring.\u201d Among other things, killing Americans could prompt the Biden administration to rethink the withdrawal, which already is highly unpopular among many Republicans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The possibility of resuming conflict with the Taliban is one of several uncertain aspects of the U.S. withdrawal \u2014 beyond the key question of whether the pullout will lead to the collapse of the Afghan government. The U.S. intends to continue counterterrorism operations, as needed, against al-Qaida and potentially other extremist groups in Afghanistan, but it\u2019s not yet clear where those forces will be positioned. Also unclear is the extent to which American and coalition forces will continue to provide air and other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/04\/22\/afghan-military-will-collapse-without-some-us-help-says-top-general-in-the-middle-east\/\" target=_blank>military support for Afghan security forces<\/a> during and after the withdrawal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gen. Frank McKenzie, who as head of U.S. Central Command is responsible for U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, has said little publicly about the likelihood of facing Taliban resistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI would advise the Taliban that we will be well prepared to defend ourselves throughout the withdrawal process,\u201d he said at a Pentagon press conference last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21119096064341.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-92766\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21119096064341.jpg.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21119096064341.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21119096064341.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21119096064341.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21119096064341.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley arrives to the chamber ahead of President Joe Biden speaking to a joint session of Congress on April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (Melina Mara\/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The extent to which the Taliban continue attacking Afghan government forces during the U.S. withdrawal also is a Pentagon concern. Milley said Wednesday that Afghan security forces form \u201can outer layer\u201d of security for American and coalition forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs we withdraw, that will be a critical component that we\u2019re going to watch very, very carefully \u2014 the level of attacks that the Taliban conduct on the Afghan security forces,\u201d Milley said during a McCain Institute Sedona Forum appearance. The recent trend is worrisome, he said, with the Taliban conducting anywhere from a few dozen to 100 or more attacks a day despite hopes for a cease-fire leading to a peace deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/04\/29\/candid-reflections-on-afghanistan-from-those-whose-lives-were-changed-forever-by-the-war\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Afghanistan.goodbye.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Candid reflections on Afghanistan from those whose lives were changed forever by the war<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A look back on 20 years of war by people directly involved.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. military ended its ground combat operations against the Taliban in 2014 and transitioned to training, advising and supporting Afghan forces, including providing air cover for them against the Taliban. The hope was that Afghan government forces could hold their own against the Taliban and that a political settlement could be reached. The departure of U.S. and coalition forces will test the Afghan government\u2019s resolve in unpredictable ways, Milley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn the worst-case analysis, you have a potential collapse of the government, a potential collapse of the military, you have a civil war, and you have all the humanitarian catastrophe that goes with it,\u201d he said. On the other hand, the Afghan military has a lot of experience in countering the insurgents. \u201cSo it\u2019s not a foregone conclusion that there will be an automatic fall of Kabul, so to speak,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Taliban said it will consider the United States to be in violation of the agreement for missing the May 1 deadline for full withdrawal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":92763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,89,12,26,62,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2484],"class_list":["post-54486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"ZQHFM6AOHRE2JGPYVQA7AD2KNQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2021\/04\/30\/pentagon-preparing-for-taliban-attacks-during-us-withdrawal\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Pentagon preparing for Taliban attacks during US withdrawal from Afghanistan - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Taliban said it will consider the United States to be in violation of the agreement for missing the May 1 deadline for full withdrawal.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pentagon preparing for Taliban attacks during US withdrawal from Afghanistan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Taliban said it will consider the United States to be in violation of the agreement for missing the May 1 deadline for full withdrawal.\" 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