KABUL/WASHINGTON, 23 April, 2021 (TON): The Afghan military will collapse after the United States and international troops leave Afghanistan, said Gen. Kenneth McKenzie in charge of U.S. forces in the Middle East on Thursday.

The officer’s remarks came after U.S. President Joe Biden announced on April 14 that he will withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by 11 September this year.

During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday, McKenzie, head of US Central Command said, “I am concerned about the ability of the Afghan military to hold on after we leave, the ability of the Afghan Air Force to fly, in particular, after we remove the support for those aircraft.”

He said that Afghan forces have gotten used to the support from the U.S. and other nations’ militaries over several years.

Later at the Pentagon, the official asserted that the U.S. President consulted with him and other top military brass before the commander-in-chief made the call to pull the troops.

However, he viewed that the U.S. has helped the Afghan military by supporting in the most direct forms in recent years, such as American and coalition soldiers side by side with them on the ground, moreover, most importantly American assistance to the Afghan military has come in the form of intelligence and fire support.