The terrorist group ISIS-K wants to use its home base in Afghanistan to launch attacks against the U.S. and could have the ability …
The terrorist group ISIS-K wants to use its home base in Afghanistan to launch attacks against the U.S. and could have the ability to do so within six months, a senior Pentagon official told Congress on Tuesday. The dire warning from Colin Kahl, the Defense Department’s undersecretary for policy, comes less than two months after the final U.S. troops exited Afghanistan and underscores deep concern within national security circles that the country is set to once again become a global hub for Islamist terror networks. Many foreign policy specialists believe ISIS-K, al Qaeda and other organizations will thrive inside Afghanistan under a second round of Taliban rule, but there are still questions about whether those groups have the will or ability to launch attacks outside the country against Western targets. Mr. Kahl provided a grim answer in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee. “I think the intelligence community currently assesses that both ISIS-K and al Qaeda have the intent to conduct external operations, including against the United States, but neither currently has the capability to do so,” he said.
