The general overseeing the US withdrawal from Afghanistan has been promoted to star general after a Republican senator rejected his nomination, according to a Senate aide.
The Senate on Monday approved Lt. General Chris Donahue is the head of the US Army Europe-Africa by consensus, meaning that no senator has refused his acceptance. Senator Markwayne Mullin, Republican of Oklahoma, had previously vetoed the increase, however the Senate Armed Services Committee raised 984 additional troops.
Donahue boards a C-17 cargo plane at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. – Master Sgt. Alexander Burnett / US Army
It’s unclear why Mullin dropped his hold, and CNN is reaching out to Mullin’s office for comment.
Donahue, who currently serves as the commander of the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty in North Carolina, oversaw the final evacuation from Afghanistan and was the last US soldier on the ground at the Kabul airport.
The iconic night photo of Donahue boarding a cargo plane from the airport became a symbol of the end of the 20-year war and the outbreak of violence that saw the deaths of 13 US soldiers in a suicide bombing.
In addition to his current position as a senior military officer, Donahue has been critical of US efforts to support Ukraine, helping to establish the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine. The organization was established in November 2022 as a long-term extension of the mission of the 18th Airborne Corps, which was sent to Europe to reinforce NATO’s eastern flanks after Russia invaded Ukraine.
In a military career spanning more than 30 years since graduating from West Point, Donahue has deployed 20 times, including time in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, North Africa and Eastern Europe, according to his Army biography.
Mullin was one of the most vocal Republicans calling for accountability after the Abbey Gate bombing killed 13 US service members in the final days of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. On the third anniversary of the bombing, Mullin said that “no single person was held accountable for the tragedy” and clearly explained that Donahue. He also named former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, who has come under fire from President-elect Donald Trump, with whom he had a controversial relationship.
Donahue had the public and rhetorical support of former Defense Department officials, including Mark Esper, who served as Trump’s defense secretary for 16 months during his first term. Esper said on social media that Donahue was a “good choice” and has “great experience.”
Calling for the president to be removed, Esper said, “The task of withdrawing the evil from Afghanistan in 2021 lies with the White House, not the Department of Defense, and not with the leaders in uniform who killed Pres Biden in a dirty election.”
Retired General Tony Thomas, who headed the US Special Operations Command, blasted the story on social media, calling it “absolutely disgusting,” calling Donahue “the greatest officer I’ve ever worked with.”
This article has been updated with additional information.
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