Concerns over US terror threats rising as Taliban hold grows

3 years ago 291

WASHINGTON – America’s apical wide said Sunday that the United States could present look a emergence successful violent threats from a Taliban-run Afghanistan. That informing comes arsenic quality agencies charged with anticipating those threats look caller questions aft the U.S.-backed Afghan subject collapsed with shocking speed.

Less than a week aft a subject appraisal predicted Kabul could beryllium surrounded by insurgents successful 30 days, the satellite connected Sunday watched stunning scenes of Taliban fighters lasting successful the Afghan president's bureau and crowds of Afghans and foreigners frantically trying to committee planes to flight the country.

Gen. Mark Milley, the president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told senators connected a briefing telephone Sunday that U.S. officials are expected to change their earlier assessments astir the gait of violent groups reconstituting successful Afghanistan, a idiosyncratic acquainted with the substance told The Associated Press.

In June, the Pentagon’s top leaders said an extremist radical similar al-Qaida whitethorn beryllium capable to regenerate successful Afghanistan and airs a menace to the U.S. homeland wrong 2 years of the American military’s withdrawal from the country. Two decades aft the U.S. invaded Afghanistan due to the fact that the Taliban harbored al-Qaida leaders, experts accidental the Taliban and al-Qaida stay aligned, and different convulsive groups could besides find harmless haven nether the caller regime.

Based connected the evolving situation, officials present judge panic groups similar al-Qaida whitethorn beryllium capable to turn overmuch faster than expected, according to the person, who had nonstop cognition of the briefing but was not authorized to sermon the details of the telephone publically and spoke to the AP connected information of anonymity.

The Biden medication officials connected the telephone with senators – among them were Milley, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin — said U.S. quality agencies are moving connected forming a caller timeline based connected the evolving threats, the idiosyncratic acquainted with the substance said.

Current and erstwhile quality officials connected Sunday pushed backmost against disapproval of what was wide seen arsenic a nonaccomplishment by the agencies to expect however accelerated Kabul could fall. One elder quality authoritative said that “a accelerated Taliban takeover was ever a possibility,” adding: “As the Taliban advanced, they yet met with small resistance. We person ever been clear-eyed that this was possible, and tactical conditions connected the crushed tin often germinate quickly.” The authoritative was not authorized to sermon the substance publically and spoke connected information of anonymity.

But President Joe Biden didn’t suggest specified an result astatine a July 8 quality conference, erstwhile helium said “the likelihood there’s going to beryllium the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the full state is highly unlikely. ”

The reduced U.S. unit beingness successful Afghanistan — down to 2,500 troops astatine the extremity of President Donald Trump's word — whitethorn person hindered quality efforts successful Afghanistan. Retired Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, who led the Defense Intelligence Agency until October, said having less Americans embedded with Afghan forces meant determination was little penetration into however those forces would perform.

“It’s very, precise hard to gauge the morale down astatine the portion level due to the fact that you’re conscionable not determination anymore,” Ashley said. “And I wouldn’t beryllium amazed if Afghan leaders would archer america lone what we privation to perceive anyway.”

Monitoring coercion threats successful Afghanistan volition beryllium adjacent much hard with U.S. troops withdrawing and the Taliban successful control. Intelligence agencies successful Afghanistan enactment broadside by broadside with troops. Without the aforesaid subject presence, spies are severely constricted successful what they tin cod astir the morale of Afghan troops oregon enactment for the Taliban.

“If they leave, which they did, that means we permission arsenic well,” said Marc Polymeropoulos, who held respective roles related to Afghanistan during a 26-year vocation successful the CIA. “And that surely affects our quality gathering footprint.”

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democratic subordinate of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that erstwhile evacuations are settled that “our absorption is going to shift” toward quality and counterterrorism activities. The U.S. volition person to guarantee it has the quality to way whether Al Qaeda is reconstituting there, helium said successful an interview.

“The Taliban has tons of reasons to grant their statement with the United States and support al-Qaida astatine bay. And our ngo present is to enactment ourselves successful a presumption wherever we tin show and verify that that commitment," helium said.

U.S. nationalist information officials besides briefed House members and tensions ran high. Republican person Kevin McCarthy became furious aft the medication officials would not corroborate that President Ashraf Ghani had near the country, according to a idiosyncratic who participated successful the meeting.

“Why are we doing this now?” McCarthy asked.

Ghani flew retired of the state arsenic the Taliban insurgents closed successful connected Sunday and posted connected Facebook that helium had chosen to permission the state to avert bloodshed successful the capital. He did not accidental wherever helium had gone.

Rep. Michael Waltz, a Florida Republican and Green Beret who served successful Afghanistan, sharply criticized the briefing arsenic “a regurgitation of the president’s statement" from Saturday.

Waltz said Austin blamed the Afghan forces’ deficiency of volition to fight, portion Blinken cited the deadline acceptable by erstwhile President Donald Trump’s medication for an American withdrawal.

“There was nary treatment of a way guardant but immoderate vague reassurances that they’ll support the homeland,” Waltz said.

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AP National Security Writer Robert Burns contributed to this report.

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