Now just need my desk, pretty much out of Syria and pretty much out of Iraq and down to the smallest force that we have had in will be very shortly down to that number. In Afghanistan, United States. We are playing an important role in bringing the parties together to end a decades long war going on going on almost twenty years. Brian Trump making promise to bring troops only latest withdraw thousands from Iraq and soon to be announced. Afghanistan lets bring in Fox news. Strategic analyst knows this region as well as anybody retired, four star General Jack Keane. I want to get your account on nine slash eleven first, I want to bring you to here and now pulling troops out of Iraq and worried about the message to IRAN. Well, yes, I am concerned about that. Any time we wholeheartedly pull significant amount of troops out. We only have about five thousand two hundred there. We are going to drop that down to three thousand to almost half of it. It sends a message to Iraq and

I dont want them to get the wrong message that the United States is heading for the exits and therefore they are going to be able to own this country, so to speak, something that they have always wanted to do. But I know now, after talking to people who are close to the station, that was made here, that the Prime minister from Iraq welcomed some slight withdrawal of troops to help them politically in the country. This prime minister, is the first of the three that has been elected by the people that have had the courage to stand up to the Iranians and he is pushing back. So we need to reinforce him politically and one of the ways to help him politically is to keep a small military force there. That is also assisting the iraqi security forces and they dont want us to leave because they have ISIS threat thats, still there its a modest investment with a long term payoff for the United States and the security of the american people. I dont think people know that the Prime Minister wanted us out. Yet they still want the alliance. That is important. Note,

Frank, Mackenzie. The general in STAR says this reduced footprint allows to us continue, advising and assisting our iraqi partners and rooting out the remnants of ISIS lets move on. I know Afghanistan is next. We are pulling troops out, and the Taliban and afghan government are speaking whats your greatest concern. Well, first, you cant trust. The Taliban and the afghan people know that eighty five percent in every single poll taken ever since nine slash eleven. They have absolutely rejected the Taliban. Why is that? Because they ran the country for almost ten years and they are bare barbarians. They want no part of them. If were going to have a political solution and everybody wants one and im. Certainly a supporter of that, we cannot destroy the constitution of Afghanistan. They have had four open elections, challenged elections to be sure, but nonetheless this is a fledgely democracy, moving in the right way, thats that respects the peoples, civil rights and

respects human rights and female rights, and they have made some significant progress in that it doesnt get any publicity. We cant up hinge that to appease the Taliban is my concern, especially China. Russia would love to see us out not looking to dominate looking to leave something behind that allows them to grow. Lets move on and talk about why we are in Afghanistan, thats nine slash eleven. Where was general Jack Keane in the Pentagon? When you, when the planes hit yeah, I was in my office. I got alerted by one of my staff that something had happened in New York. She turned the television on like anybody im a born and raised New Yorker Blue Sky Day. I certainly knew that was a terrorist attack. They tried to blot world trade center up in 93. That was vivid in my mind. I asked my operation center, the army operation center to come up to full manning. We did that. We were in conversation about that. The second world Trade Center had taken place.

We reached full manning and the operations general in charge. We had a conversation when the Pentagon got hit, he didnt feel it. We did. We got smoke in the office. I told my people to call home evacuate. We wept down to try to assist with the evacuation. We did that and then moved to the operation center to take control of the army. We let the army know that we still had command and control still had command and control, because our operation center, who are risk day visited the hospital, saw the pain on their face, saw the fear of the people, evacuating the building. To be sure, I will Snefer forget the next molecular Pentagon occupied by mostly civilians, twenty five thousand to be exact. Most all of them came to work. The next morning army hit the hardest. There we

lost eighty five teammates that workforce was there shaken to be sure concerned about the teammates who were not there to be sure. So much so. I asked the surgeon general to bring other twin to work with our people their resolve that day they knew they were at war. They knew they were a part of it and involved in something much larger than themselves and their own fear. Here they were standing there willing to make that kind of conviction. Never will forget it. It is horrific day to be sure we had an award ceremony a few weeks later, that I will never ever forget. Standing at that awards ceremony represented all the people in the Pentagon. What am I talking about? There were men and women there there were soldiers and civilians, they were young, they were old, they represented people who were black brown white. They were different religions there they were different shapes and sizes.

We had people in good physical condition. We had people who were not and some who were in awful physical condition, but it reminded me of something that courage, raw physical courage, where you are willing to give up your life for somebody else that doesnt have a race, religion or size. It doesnt have a shape. It doesnt have a shape. What it is all about, heart and character will to save your life for others. True honor, most unusual and unique and largest award ceremony, I have ever participated in my life. I was so proud to be among them, just as we have been talking about the first responders and heroes at the World Trade Center on nine Slash eleven and what took place in Shanksville in Pennsylvania, with those marvelous heroes on that airplane. And what were going to talk

about at a different time is the battle plan that put together in that building to take this loosely aligned organization apart, find out what they are and how to change shaped. The battlefield changed your approach and what you did to take apart. Al Qaeda is just extraordinary. You were very much a part of that thanks so much general, and thanks for your account and im.