They could threaten the U.S. homeland within a year.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley, and General Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, testified Wednesday before the House Armed Services Committee, a day after appearing before the Senate’s committee.
The U.S. military leaders warned it is possible that al Qaeda could strengthen in Afghanistan and become a threat to the U.S. homeland in as little as a year. They said that the “over the horizon” operations will be difficult but not impossible in Afghanistan.
General Milley cautioned, “The Taliban was and remains a terrorist organization and they still have not broken ties with al Qaeda. … A reconstituted al Qaeda or ISIS with aspirations to attack the United States is a very real possibility, and those conditions to include activities in ungoverned spaces could present themselves in the next 12 to 36 months.” Members of the intelligence community have echoed a similar sentiment.
The counterterrorism mission of the U.S. “will be much harder now but not impossible,” General Milley said. He admitted the Taliban takeover “makes it much more difficult for us to conduct intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and fix functions.” He added that there is still a human intelligence network in Afghanistan.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For U.S. intelligence agencies as they monitor the Taliban and evaluate al Qaeda.
- For Secretary Austin as he oversees military operations across the globe.
- For Secretary Blinken as he interacts with diplomats, embassies, and consulates around the world.
Sources: Washington Examiner, The Hill
