A Chinook helicopter transports equipment around Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. US Army photo by Sgt. James Dansie.
Reuters: After Taliban takeover, concerns mount over U.S. counterterrorism ability
WASHINGTON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - With no U.S. troops or reliable partners left, jails emptied of militants and the Taliban in control, doubts are mounting within President Joe Biden's administration over Washington's ability to stem a resurgence of al Qaeda and other extremists in Afghanistan, six current and former U.S. officials told Reuters.
Afghan security forces whom the United States helped train crumbled as Taliban militants made their way through Afghanistan in less than two weeks, leaving the United States with few partners on the ground.
"We're not in a good place," said a U.S. defense official, who requested anonymity to discuss the issue.
Weeks before the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States by al Qaeda, the lack of visibility regarding potential extremist threats is a chilling prospect for officials.
U.S.-led forces toppled the Taliban in 2001 for sheltering al Qaeda militants, leading to America's longest war.
The U.S. troop departure ordered for Aug. 31 by Biden and the subsequent collapse of Afghan security forces have stripped the CIA and other spy agencies of protection, forcing them to close bases and withdraw personnel as well.
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Update #1: Petraeus Questions U.S. Ability to Counter Terrorism After Afghanistan’s Fall (USNI News)
Update #2: Hey Mr. President, What’s the Counterterrorism Strategy for Afghanistan? (Peter Brookes, Heritage)
WNU Editor: The countries surrounding Afghanistan have made it very clear that a US military/intelligence presence is not wanted. In such an environment, good luck on conducting successful counter terrorism operations.
4 comments:
Biden keeps talking about this "Over the Horizon" terrorism containment capability. It doesn't exist.
USA Today Biden Overall: 41%
Biden said it?
Never mind.
Shit, more Shit and nothing but Shit!
They are worried about Afghanistan as if it is the only game in town. If you have someone, who is in the trades, business person or a white collar professional and they are good at their job they can track 10 to20 shiny objects at one time. Maybe more.
We have watched at this war news aggregator and elsewhere radical Muslim extremists tear thing up in Somalia, Kenya and now they are in Mozambique. West Africa is thoroughly penetrated by Islamic extremists and now the are in the Rift Valley region of Congo.
These people have been doing such a good job spending money and "fighting" that Terrorists have spread lime a cancer throughout Africa. If we station trainers or intel people with or without drones, we have media, NGO and other people wringing their hands about the bases count. We can put these hand wringers to good use. We can trade them for Taliban hostages.
If these Afghans war winners do such a great job on the next 20 years South America will be as penetrated with metastasizing radical Islam as Africa and it will be game over.
I wonder who Petraeus is fucking now? I would not think it is his wife and he is not doing without.
Not sure what to make of this. We should never have occupied Afghanistan, let alone for 20 years, let alone try to Westernize that medieval shithole. So, if after 9/11 all we had done was blow the crap out of the bad guys for a couple of years not sure that would have accomplished more than moving in for two decades. The actual culprit is radical Islam, and that's a generation thing.
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