Christopher Donahue, the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan, has been promoted to the rank of four-star general, with the unanimous approval of the U.S. Senate.
Reuters reported on Tuesday, December 3, that Senator Mark Wayne Mullin, a Republican, initially opposed the promotion but eventually agreed to it after further discussions.
Donahue was responsible for overseeing the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, and he was the last soldier to leave Kabul’s airport.
After the withdrawal, U.S. President Joe Biden appointed him as the senior military commander in Europe.
While former President Donald Trump called the troop withdrawal a “disaster” and warned that the competence of those involved in the process would be questioned, Donahue’s leadership has been widely acknowledged.
However, during the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, a suicide bomb blast occurred at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 26, 2021.
The attack, claimed by the Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), resulted in the deaths of 13 American service members and over 170 Afghan civilians.
The bombing took place near one of the airport’s gates, where thousands of Afghans had gathered, attempting to flee the country following the Taliban’s rapid takeover. The attack marked one of the deadliest days for U.S. forces in Afghanistan in over a decade.
Donahue’s promotion to four-star general underscores his leadership role during the complex withdrawal and subsequent efforts to stabilize U.S. military operations in Europe. Despite the controversy surrounding the exit, his contributions are considered significant in shaping the future of U.S. military strategy.
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