Washington
Newly appointed Pentagon chief Christopher Miller signalled on Saturday that he could accelerate the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and the Middle East, saying, “It’s time to come home.”
“All wars must end,” Miller, named acting defense secretary by President Donald Trump on Monday, said in his first message to the US armed services.
He said that the US is committed to defeating al Qaeda, 19 years after the September 11 attacks on the United States, and is “on the verge of defeating” the group.
“Many are weary of war — I’m one of them,” he wrote in the message, dated Friday but posted early Saturday on the Defense Department’s website.
“But this is the critical phase in which we transition our efforts from a leadership to supporting role,” he said. “Ending wars requires compromise and partnership. We met the challenge; we gave it our all. Now, it’s time to come home.”— AFP
