Retired Four-Star General Jack Keane weighs in on Trump’s plan to withdraw troops in Iraq and Afghanistan on ‘Fox & Friends.’
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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.
Transcript generated on 2020-09-11.