Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed Gen. Christopher Donahue, a widely admired military leader once described as a “once-in-a-generation” officer, after reportedly becoming preoccupied with a viral image he believed was a “selfie.”
Donahue, 57, became part of one of the most recognizable images from the chaotic end of the Afghanistan war when an Army photographer captured him as the final U.S. service member to leave the country after a deadly ISIS suicide bombing.
The grainy, green-tinted night-vision photo showed the general stepping onto the last aircraft out of Afghanistan, following the Army tradition that the commander is the final soldier to depart.
According to The New York Times , the image was taken by an Army photographer using a cellphone and night-vision equipment at 11:59 p.m. on August 30, 2021 — just one minute before the deadline for the full American withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The photo spread rapidly online and became an enduring symbol of the U.S. exit from Afghanistan. Senior Pentagon officials told the outlet that Hegseth later fixated on the image, incorrectly describing it as a “selfie.”
Just four days beforehand, an ISIS suicide-bomber had killed 13 American service members and at least 170 Afghans in an attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
President Donald Trump, on his 2024 campaign trail, slammed former President Joe Biden for the withdrawal and the attack on the airport, dubbing the incident ‘the most embarrassing moment in the history of the United States.’
He also questioned why no one had been reprimanded over the attack, the Times reported.
General Christopher Donahue, 57, was pictured by an army photographer as the last soldier to leave Afghanistan following a deadly attack by a lone ISIS suicide-bomber
Donahue was captured by an army photographer using their cellphone and a night-vision device at 11.59pm on August 30, 2021 – just one minute before the agreed deadline for Americans to withdraw from Afghanistan
The very photo would be catapulted onto the internet and quickly go viral before Hegseth, who mistakenly labeled the picture a ‘selfie,’ would become fixated on it
In February 2020, Trump had made a deal with the Taliban for the final withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan following a near two-decade war sparked after the September 11 attacks in New York City.
Eighteen months later, Afghanistan’s president fled the country and its government collapsed – leaving Afghan forces dissolved, the Times reported.
Donahue was called back to Kabul on August 17, where he met with Qari Hamdullah Mokhlis, a Taliban commander who had been a primary target of the general’s commandos since 2020.
The two made an agreement to form a partnership, with paratroopers recalling Donahue’s words to the Taliban commander as: ‘You don’t like me; I don’t like you. But we’re going to have to work together,’ according to the outlet.
Both recognized their biggest threat lay with the Islamic State terror group, which was plotting to turn the US withdrawal into an opportunity to attack, US intelligence had determined.
While the US military would take charge of the airport and its entry gates, commanders wanted the Taliban, with checkpoints surrounding the airport, to allow Americans citizens and allies through while keeping potential suicide-bombers out, according to the Times.
Abbey Gate, under the control of the Marines, was identified as a prime target of the terror group. The Marines were planning to leave and hand over control to Donahue’s troops, the outlet reported.
On August 24, Donahue visited the gate and was met with thousands of Afghans surrounding Marines attempting to screen them. The general told his troops at the time that the chaotic scene created a perfect opportunity for an attack, the Times reported.
People seen struggling to get into the Hamid Karzai International Airport, to flee the country on 23 August 2021
An ISIS suicide-bomber killed 13 American service members, pictured, and at least 170 Afghans in an attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul
President Donald Trump slammed former President Joe Biden, seen delivering remarks on the terror attack in Kabul, and dubbed the incident ‘the most embarrassing moment in the history of the United States’
While Donahue thought it risky to wait to shut the gate down on August 27, as planned, British forces also using the gate for evacuation asked to keep it open and the Pentagon agreed, US officials told the outlet.
The deadly attack unfolded at 5.48pm on August 26 while the Marines remained in control of the gate. Eleven Marines lost their lives, as well as one Navy medic, one Army soldier and many Afghans.
Donahue recalled hearing and feeling the blast from his headquarters at the other side of the runway, the outlet reported.
It was on August 30 that the war came to an end and the general boarded the final plane leaving the war-torn area.
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As Donahue landed in Qatar, he called his wife to let her know they had got out.
‘I know,’ she said.
‘How did you know?’ he asked.
‘Everybody knows.’
British soldiers secure the perimeter outside the Baron Hotel, on a road that leads to the Abbey Gate, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021
A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site of the August 26 twin suicide bombs, which killed scores of people including 13 US troops, at Kabul airport on August 27, 2021
She forwarded the photo of Donahue getting onto the plane out of Kabul that had been shared across news sites globally.
‘This is not good,’ he said at the time.
Hegseth had resigned from the Army following reportedly questionable behavior and blamed his departure from service on Army generals with ‘bloated’ ranks.
His vision to ‘clean house’ was one he believed that Trump shared.
‘He wants fewer generals,’ Hegseth said at the time, according to the outlet.
Donahue had been a top candidate to take over for General Christopher G. Cavoli who would be retiring in the summer of 2025 – and Hegseth agreed, until he told staff that Trump was looking for someone to go down for the attack in Kabul.
Joe Kasper, Hegseth’s chief of staff, was presented with a small window of opportunity to defend Donahue, a well-respected and revered general who had seen more combat in his more than 20 deployments than almost any officer in the military.
Kasper clarified to Hegseth that the photo from Kabul which pictured Donahue was not a selfie, the general had nothing to do with its distribution and the Marines had in fact been in charge of the gate when the attack unfolded, the Times reported.
After learning that the photo from Kabul which pictured Donahue was not a selfie, the general had nothing to do with its distribution and the Marines had in-fact been in charge of the gate when the attack unfolded, Hegseth said: ‘I don’t care’
After Hegseth had allegedly dodged, cancelled or rescheduled meetings, Donahue retired on August 27 surrounded by those who fought with him
Soldiers of the German Federal Army (Bundeswehr) honor guard walk with torches during a grand tattoo for Donahue, former commander of the US Army in Europe and Africa, in Berlin, Germany, on 20 August 2026
‘I don’t care,’ Hegseth told Kasper, according to the outlet.
Despite many fighting to keep Donahue, describing him as a key strategist preparing for future war, Hegseth was determined to get the general out.
Republican Senator Tim Sheehy staked his alliance with Donahue, but was told by General Dan Caine that his support was only fueling Hegseth’s notion that Donahue was too powerful, the Times reported.
‘Do you think Secretary Hegseth would work with me if I was there,’ Donahue asked, referring to an offer to take command in Austin, Texas, by Senator Joni Ernst – who had attempted to suggest Donahue lead the Army instead of Hegseth’s pick, General Christopher LaNeve.
‘Honestly, no,’ Ernst responded, according to the Times.
A senior White House official allegedly told Ernst that Hegseth would never nominate Donahue for the job, the outlet reported.
After Hegseth had allegedly dodged, canceled or rescheduled meetings, Donahue retired on August 27 surrounded by those who fought with him.
According to the Daily Beast, Hegseth has fired or blocked promotions for around 80 of the USA’s top officers – marking roughly 10 percent of the US military’s highest-ranking officers.