According to Reuters, Kahl’s remarks are a sign that the situation in Afghanistan is raising security concerns in Washington even after the US and other NATO countries withdrew their troops from the country in the summer after twenty years.
The Taliban Islamist movement is fighting the local offshoot of IS-K because their attacks undermine the movement’s efforts to establish order after the withdrawal of international troops. However, Kahl told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he was not sure whether the Taliban could intervene effectively.
“We believe the Taliban and IS-K are mortal enemies. The Taliban therefore have great motivation to follow them. In my opinion, their ability to achieve this is still unclear. ”Kahl added that the IS-K has several thousand fighters in its ranks.
–
Al Qaeda may also be a threat
According to Reuters, Kahl also indicated that the situation around the operation of the al-Qaeda terrorist network will be more complicated. The Taliban have in the past provided refuge for its fighters, which was also the reason why the United States invaded Afghanistan after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and overthrew its government.
According to experts, the Taliban still maintains relations with al-Qaeda. In an agreement with the United States, however, he pledged not to allow Afghanistan to carry out attacks against the United States or its allies. But Kahl told the committee that al-Qaeda would probably take a year or two to regain the opportunity to launch attacks on US targets outside Afghanistan.
–
The chaotic departure of US troops from the country was overseen by US President Joe Biden, who failed in opinion polls. Following the withdrawal from Afghanistan, Biden said the United States would continue to conduct covert operations in the country to detect potential threats in a timely manner.
Kahl noted that the goal of US operations is to disrupt the functioning of IS-K and al-Qaeda so that they will not be able to launch attacks on US targets. However, according to Reuters, American officials warn in private that these efforts are very difficult without soldiers in the country.
– .
