‘This is Not Going to be Won Militarily’: Top U.S. Commander in Afghanistan Reveals Pessimism

by Kyle Rempfer 

The new U.S. general leading the mission in Afghanistan gave a surprisingly candid interview this week on the situation in-country. In his first interview since taking command of NATO’s Resolute Support mission in September, Army Gen. Austin Miller’s thoughts seem to mirror the pessimism felt by the American people as the war in Afghanistan treads past the 17-year mark. “This is not going to be won militarily,” Miller told NBC News in an exclusive interview. “This is going to a political solution." “My assessment is the Taliban also realizes they cannot win militarily,” he said. "So if you realize you can’t win militarily at some point, fighting is just, people start asking why. So you do not necessarily wait us out, but I think now is the time to start working through the political piece of this conflict.”

Miller’s comments reflect several realities portrayed in the latest report from the leading U.S. government oversight agency on Afghanistan…

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