A promotion for the general who became known as the last U.S. soldier out of Afghanistan was approved by the Senate after a Republican senator briefly delayed the vote.

Late last month, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., used a procedural tactic called a “hold” to block Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue’s promotion, a Senate aide previously told Military.com.

But on Monday evening, the Senate voted by voice to approve Donahue’s promotion to four-star general and as commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe, indicating Mullin had dropped his hold.

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It was not clear why Mullin relented, and a spokesperson did not immediately respond to Military.com’s request for comment.

Mullin never publicly commented on the hold, but it came as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to fulfill campaign promises to fire generals connected with the Afghanistan withdrawal and a couple months after Mullin included Donahue on his list of officials who hadn’t been held accountable for the exodus.

Trump campaigned heavily on bashing President Joe Biden for the chaotic Afghan exit, though Trump initiated the withdrawal and watchdog reports have faulted both administrations. Trump vowed to fire “every single official” connected with the conclusion of the Afghanistan campaign, and NBC News has also reported that Trump transition team officials are compiling a list of current and former military officers involved in the withdrawal with the possibility of court-martialing them. It’s unclear what violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice they would be charged with.

Donahue became a symbol of the withdrawal after the Pentagon released photos showing him as the final American service member to board the last C-17 Globemaster III to leave Afghanistan, officially ending the U.S. military presence there after 20 years of war.

At the time of the withdrawal in 2021, Donahue was the two-star commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division and oversaw the 82nd’s mission of securing Hamid Karzai International Airport while U.S. forces evacuated Americans and vulnerable Afghans as the Taliban took over Kabul.

After Mullin’s hold on Donahue’s promotion became public, prominent retired military officers and other former officials jumped to the officer’s defense.

“Absolute disgrace,” retired Gen. Tony Thomas, former head of Special Operations Command, posted on social media. “The finest officer I ever served with, Chris Donahue is a generational leader who is now being held up for political purposes. At the tip of the spear defending this country for over three decades, he is now a political pawn. Bull—-!”

Donahue, who spent most of his career in the special operations community, is currently the commanding general of the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty in North Carolina. With his promotion approved by the Senate, he will become commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa at a time when the future of American forces in Europe is murky amid questions of whether Trump will pull back on U.S. alliances.

Related: GOP Senator Stalls Promotion of General Who Became Symbol of Afghanistan Withdrawal

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