Top US general steps down in Afghanistan

KABUL: The top American general in Afghanistan stepped down on Monday, a symbolic moment as the US nears the end of its 20-year-old war and Taliban fighters sweep across the country. At a muted ceremony at US and Nato military headquarters in Kabul, General Austin Miller ended his nearly threeyear term as commander.
His duties will be filled by two officials. Rear Admiral Peter Vasely, a former member of SEAL Team 6, will take charge of the security mission at the US embassy in Kabul. He will report to General Kenneth McKenzie Jr, the head of the military’s Central Command, who will take over the military mission in Afghanistan. “It’s important to me to say farewell,” Miller said. “Our job is now not to forget.” McKenzie assured those present that the Americans were not abandoning the Afghan people.