The US general leading the war in Afghanistan , Austin Miller, relinquished command on Monday in a symbolic ceremony that brought America’s longest-ever conflict a step closer to ending even as Taliban insurgents gained momentum. Miller became the last US four-star general on the ground in Afghanistan in a ceremony in Kabul that came ahead of a formal end to the military mission on August 31, a date set by President Joe Biden as he looks to extricate his country from the two-decade-old war. While the ceremony may have offered some sense of closure for US veterans who served in Afghanistan, it is unclear whether it would succeed in reassuring the Western-backed Afghan government as the Taliban press ground offensives that have given them control of more territory than at any time since the conflict began. US Marine General Kenneth McKenzie, whose Florida-based Central Command oversees US forces in hotspots including Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria , flew into Kabul to underscore America’s future assistance to Afghan security forces. “Admittedly, it’s going to be very different than it was in the past. I’m not going to minimise that,” McKenzie told a small group of reporters. “But we’re going to support them.” But he also cautioned that the Taliban, in his view, appeared to be seeking “a military solution” to a war that the United States has unsuccessfully tried to end with a peace agreement between the Taliban and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s government. He cautioned that provincial capitals were at risk but noted that the US-backed Afghan security forces “are determined to fight very hard for those provincial capitals”. McKenzie will be able to authorise US air strikes against the Taliban through August 31 in support of Ghani’s Western-backed government. Al-Qaeda mocks US exit from Afghanistan, as Taliban advances But after that, the Marine general said when it came to US strikes in Afghanistan, his focus will shift squarely to counterterrorism operations against al Qaeda and Islamic State. US officials do not believe the Taliban could be relied upon to prevent al Qaeda from again plotting attacks against the United States from Afghan soil. The United Nations said in a report in January there were as many as 500 al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan and that the Taliban maintained a close relationship with the Islamist extremist group. Miller, 60, has spent longer on the ground than any of the previous generals to command the war. He had a close call in 2018 when a rogue Afghan bodyguard in Kandahar province opened fire and killed a powerful Afghan police chief standing near Miller. A US brigadier general was wounded as were other Americans but Miller emerged unscathed. The Pentagon has engineered a transition that will allow a series of generals to carry on with supporting the Afghan security forces, mostly from overseas. Beyond McKenzie’s overwatch from Florida, a Qatar-based brigadier general, Curtis Buzzard, will focus on administering funding support for the Afghan security forces – including aircraft maintenance support. In Kabul, Navy Rear Admiral Peter Vasely will lead a newly created US Forces Afghanistan-Forward, focusing on protecting the embassy and airport. Still, what happens next in Afghanistan appears to be increasingly out of America’s control. As US’ ‘longest war’ ends, China assesses role in Afghanistan Biden acknowledged on Thursday that Afghanistan’s future was far from certain but said the Afghan people must decide their own fate. “I will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan with no reasonable expectation of achieving a different outcome,” he said. Afghan officials said on Monday that Taliban fighters had surrounded the central city of Ghazni, the latest urban centre under threat from the insurgents. “The situation in Ghazni city is very critical … the Taliban use civilian houses as hideouts and fire upon the [Afghan security forces],” said Hassan Rezayi, a member of Ghazni’s provincial council. Peace talks between the Taliban and the government have nominally been continuing in Qatar’s capital but officials say they are making little progress. Clashes between the two sides are also continuing in the southern province of Kandahar where the Taliban traditionally have had a strong presence, locals said. Ghazni is on the main road between Kabul and Kandahar city. “Since the past four days, armed Taliban are attacking … Kandahar city from the western direction,” said Hamidzai Lalay, a former member of parliament who is fighting with armed men against the Taliban in Kandahar. “Afghan security forces, including special forces, are fighting the Taliban and trying to push them back.” Fawad Aman, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said the situation in Kandahar was “completely under control” of security forces, which had carried out air and ground operations in recent days. Taliban says 85 per cent of Afghan territory is under its control So far, the Taliban has not been able to hold provincial capitals but they have put pressure on Afghan security forces to respond to offensives around the country. On Sunday, security forces, with the help of air strikes, repelled an assault by Taliban fighters on Taluqan, the provincial centre of a key northern province bordering Tajikistan. Last week, Taliban fighters entered the capital of the western province of Badghis, seizing police and security facilities and attempting to take over the governor’s office before special forces pushed them back