ISLAMABAD – Top US defence officials denied on Friday that the military hadfor years hidden from the public its lack of progress in the Afghan war.
Defence Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milleyrejected allegations that the Pentagon and other government agencies hadfalsely reported progress while internally officials were deeply skepticalabout the war.
“This has been very transparent. It’s not like this war was hidingsomewhere,” Esper told reporters.
“Between all the folks looking at this conflict over the years, some typeof insinuation that there’s been this large-scale conspiracy is just, tome, ridiculous,” he said.
“I know there’s an assertion out there, of some sort of coordinated lieover the course of 18 years […] I find that a mischaracterisation,” addedMilley.
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“I know that I and many, many others gave assessments at the time based onfacts that we knew at the time,” he said.
“And those were honest assessments and they were never intended to deceiveeither the Congress or the American people.” – APP/AFP
