With The Closing Down Of U.S. And Coalition Intelligence Assets In Afghanistan, It Has Opened Gaps For The Taliban And Other Extremists To Exploit

A British soldier looks out from an armored vehicle at the site of a Taliban attack on a guesthouse attached to the Spanish embassy in Kabul on Dec. 12, 2015. Photo: Reuters

Wall Street Journal: Intelligence Gap Fuels Extremist Rise in Afghanistan

Extensive spy network was anchored by bases and outposts operated by the U.S. and its NATO allies

KABUL—Fourteen years after the U.S. and its allies routed most al Qaeda militants from Afghanistan, the country is again becoming a haven for extremist groups, the result, in part, of inadequate surveillance of its far-flung territory, Afghan and Western officials say.

At the height of their presence five years ago, the U.S. military and its allies operated 852 bases and outposts across Afghanistan, many with their own informants, drones and surveillance balloons to monitor even remote areas of the vast and rugged country.

Today, these spy assets are largely gone. As of September, all but about 20 of the installations that anchored the extensive intelligence-gathering network have been closed, bulldozed or handed off to the Afghan government. With large stretches of Afghanistan now regularly unmonitored, Afghan and Western officials fear that more extremists from Islamic State, al Qaeda and other militant groups could find sanctuary inside the country’s borders.

WNU Editor: I am surprised by this report. When the decision was made to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan, my understanding was that a few thousand soldiers involved in training would remain behind, special forces for anti-terror operations, as well as the intelligence community. Clearly this has not been the case .... the intelligence community is operating at a minimum level .... even though the war is intensifying.