Practice English Speaking&Listening with: Top Commander In Afghanistan Steps Down Marking End To US Mission

RADFORD AND IM ALLISON

BARBER. AARON IS OFF TODAY. WE

BEGIN THIS HOUR WITH BREAKING

NEWS OUT OF AFGHANISTAN AS THE

UNITED STATES REACHES A KEY

MILESTONE.

>> A DRAMATIC TURNING POINT

TODAY IS GENERAL SCOTT MILLER,

THE COMMANDER OF US FORCES.

THERE OFFICIALLY STEPPED DOWN

EARLIER TODAY. HE TURNS

COMMAND OVER TO US CENTRAL

COMMAND. THE HISTORIC MOVE

MARKS A SYMBOLIC INTO NEARLY

20 YEARS OF MILITARY

OPERATIONS IN THAT COUNTRY.

THIS AS THE TALIBAN THREAT

LOOMS EVEN LARGER NBC NEWS

PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT

COURTNEY QBS FOLLOWING TODAYS

EVENTS FOR US IN KABUL,

AFGHANISTAN. AND WE ALSO HAVE

RETIRED ARMY COLONEL AND NBC

NEWS MILITARY ANALYST.

>> JACK JACOBS WHO IS JOINING

US. LETS GO AHEAD, THOUGH.

AND BEGIN WITH COURTNEY THERE

IN KABUL. COURTNEY. THE UNITED

STATES HAS BEEN WITHDRAWING

FROM AFGHANISTAN. NOW FOR 4

TALK ABOUT WHY TODAYS EVENTS

ARE SO SIGNIFICANT. WHAT IS

DIFFERENT TODAY.

>> SO TODAY WAS REALLY THE

SYMBOLIC END OF THE U.S.

MILITARY MISSION HERE IN

AFGHANISTAN. AS YOU MENTION,

GENERAL SCOTT MILLER, HE

HANDED OVER HIS AUTHORITIES TO

GENERAL FRANK MCKENZIE. BUT

THAT WAS ALSO REALLY SYMBOLIC,

TOO, BECAUSE GENERAL MCKENZIE

IS ALREADY THE COMMANDER OF US

CENTRAL COMMAND. SO HES GOT

COMMAND OF ALL THE U.S.

MILITARY IN THIS ENTIRE REGION

HE REALLY HAD ALL THE

AUTHORITIES THAT THAT GENERAL

MILLER HANDED OVER. BUT WITH

HANDING OVER AND STEPPING DOWN

AS THE COMMANDING GENERAL OF

US FORCES. AFGHANISTAN THAT

REALLY MARKS THE END OF WHAT

IS NOW NEARLY A 2 DECADE LONG

WAR AND CONFLICT HERE IN

AFGHANISTAN. NOW, YOU KNOW, AS

YOU WELL, MORGAN.

>> PRESIDENT BIDEN ANNOUNCED

IN APRIL THAT THE U.S. IS

GOING TO COMPLETELY WITHDRAW

ALL TROOPS START PULLOUT

WITHDRAW ALL TROOPS FROM

AFGHANISTAN BY SEPTEMBER 11.

WE HEARD SOON AFTER THAT THAT

IN FACT THE U.S. MILITARY WAS

MOVING MUCH FASTER THAN THAT.

IT WAS MAINLY A SECURITY

REASON THEY REALIZE THAT ONCE

THEY ANNOUNCE THAT THE U.S.

WAS GOING TO LEAVE HERE AND

THERE WERE ONLY SOMEWHERE

BETWEEN 253500 TOLD THE TROOPS

HERE AT THE TIME THAT THOSE

TROOPS ARE REALLY IN DANGER.

GENERAL MILLER AS THE HEAD OF

THE WAR HERE.

>> HE STARTED MOVING PEOPLE

AND EQUIPMENT OUT QUICKLY.

THEY ALL COULD HAVE BEEN OUT

BY EARLY JULY. BUT NOW THE

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION REALIZED

AS THEY SEE THIS TALIBAN.

OFFENSIVE ALL THROUGHOUT THE

COUNTRY. THEY REALIZED THEY

NEEDED TO SLOW DOWN A LITTLE

BIT. THEY NEEDED TO MAINTAIN A

MILITARY MISSION HERE. BUT THE

REALITY IS THE U.S. MILITARY

AND THE EQUIPMENT ITS ALL

OUT. WHATS MAINTAINING HERE

UNTIL THE END OF AUGUST IS

REALLY THE CONTRACTORS HAVE

BEEN SUPPORTING THE U.S.

MILITARY HERE AND GENERAL

MCKENZIE AS THE NEW COMMANDER

OF US FORCES. AFGHANISTAN ALSO

ROUTINES SOME AUTHORITIES TO

CONDUCT AIRSTRIKES AGAINST THE

TALIBAN. SHOULD THE AFGHAN

MILITARY NEED THE U.S. TO

HELP.

>> AND COURTNEY JUST VERY

BRIEFLY HERE. I KNOW THAT HE

SPOKE EXCLUSIVELY WITH GENERAL

MCKENZIE FROM THE PLANE. CAN

YOU GIVE US A LITTLE BIT MORE

DETAIL ON WHAT HE TOLD YOU.

>> YEAH. I MEAN, SO HES HES

LIKE MANY MILITARY OFFICIALS

ARE. THEYRE CONCERNED ABOUT

THIS TALIBAN OFFENSIVE ALL

AROUND THE COUNTRY SAID THAT

ITS THAT THE MOMENTUM IS

REALLY TRENDING TOWARDS THE

TALIBAN RIGHT NOW. BUT HE ALSO

SAID THAT THE AFGHAN MILITARY

IS MAKING SOME SMART MOVES.

THEY SO FAR THE TALIBAN. WELL,

THEYVE BEEN ABLE TO TAKE A

LOT OF RURAL AREAS, IF NOT YET

TAKEN PROVINCIAL CAPITALS. AND

THATS WHAT GIVES GENERAL

MCKENZIE SOME OPTIMISM. SOME

HOPE THAT THE AFGHAN MILITARY

MAY BE ABLE TO PUSH BACK THIS

OFFENSIVE. HE ALSO SPOKE

PRETTY HIGHLY OF THE AFGHAN

AIR FORCE. THEY STARTED FROM

NOTHING MORE THAN A DECADE

AGO. MORGAN AND NOW THEY ARE

CARRYING OUT SOME AIR STRIKES.

THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO

OPERATE ON THEIR OWN. THE U.S.

IS ACTUALLY PROVIDING THEM

WITH A NUMBER OF ADDITIONAL

HELICOPTERS AND FIXED WING

AIRCRAFT BEFORE THIS MILITARY

MISSION, EVEN NC OF THE U.S.

MILITARY MISSION ENDS HERE AND

THAT IS BECAUSE THEY REALIZE

THAT THAT IS THE ONE ASSET

THAT THE AFGHAN GOVERNMENT HAS

THAT THE TALIBAN DOESNT AN

AIR FORCE AND THEYRE TRYING

TO TO BUILD THAT UP AND

STRENGTHEN THAT AS MUCH AS

POSSIBLE. ONE VULNERABILITY,

THE AFGHAN AIR FORCE REALLY

FACES, THOUGH, IS MAINTENANCE

AND THOSE CONTRACTORS, I

MENTIONED EARLIER, WHO ARE NOW

STAYING UNTIL THE END OF

AUGUST WHEN THEY LEAVE THE

AFGHAN AIR FORCE IS IS GOING

TO STRUGGLE TO BE ABLE TO

MAINTAIN THEIR THEIR AIR,

THEIR AIRCRAFT, ESPECIALLY

WITH AN INCREASE IN

OPERATIONAL TEMPO WITH THE

U.S. MILITARY AND THE NATO

FORCES LEAVING AT A CRITICAL

TIME THAT COUNTRY BEGINS ITS

TRANSITION. COURTNEY QB THERE

IN KABUL FOR US. COURTNEY,