According to US intelligence, the famous terrorist group Al-Qaeda is rebuilding itself behind the scenes and might launch an attack on US territory. After the Taliban’s triumph in Afghanistan, analysts suggested that extremist groups are likely to emerge once more. This view seems to be true considering how fast Taliban forces were quick to overthrow the government as soon as the US military personnel left the nation. The US has been trying to stamp out any acts of terrorism by extremist groups for a long time, and the war in Afghanistan was deemed to be a load on the Americans, and president Biden decided to end it.
But this gave Taliban armies an advantage to assume the high throne and rule the country. According to historical facts, Afghanistan is a breeding place of various rebellious militants who operate at their discretion and are known for enacting damage to humankind while claiming to be fighting for certain rights. This makes it a dangerous place that is marred by extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda and Isis. It was noted that the horrific 9/11 attacks were planned while Osama Bin Laden and his team were in the Afghan territory. UK defense secretary Ben Wallace noted how “Al-Qaeda will probably come back” [Source]. New details about Al-Qaeda’s activities were revealed at a summit on Tuesday in the suburbs of Washington hosted by the Intelligence and National Security Alliance and the non-profit group AFCEA.
In August, concerns by US security organizations were aired out over the regrouping of extremist movements in the West. Head of regional operations for Conflict Armament Research, Justine Fleischner, cited that “We are likely to see an Al-Qaeda resurgence and the victory [Taliban’s takeover] has already been a major boost to morale among global jihadi groups spanning the Middle East and Africa.” She added that “While it might take some time for these networks to regroup truly, the absence of US and UK eyes and ear on the ground in a very unpredictable and unstable region is likely to undermine counterterrorism efforts globally seriously.”
The recent findings presented at the intelligence conference show that Al-Qaeda is rising again and gaining momentum in a region where it has flourished before and has many supporters. Two senior US intelligence posited how a rejuvenated Al-Qaeda might attack the US in one to two years. Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said, “The current assessment probably, conservatively, is one to two years for Al-Qaeda to build some capability to at least threaten the homeland. Since all US military personnel were withdrawn from Afghanistan, it became hard to keep track of the activities, so Lieutenant General Scott Berrier suggested that the Americans infiltrate Afghanistan. He said, “We’re thinking about ways to gain access back into Afghanistan with all kinds of sources and accesses. We are prioritizing that effort. We’ll continue to prioritize it. But we have to be careful to balance these very scarce resources.”
The US treasury department revealed how a lot of money was spent in funding the war in Afghanistan, hence it becomes pertinent for the intelligence agents to be more careful with resources. CIA Deputy Director David Cohen told officials at the summit that US intelligence agencies witnessed Al-Qaeda’s undertakings, and he concurred with the time frame of attack given by Berrier. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines highlighted the greatest threat to the US comes from countries such as Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan [Source]. On a list of the most-watched countries deemed to pose a threat to America, Afghanistan was ranked lower after the war with the US ended, but the other countries were ranked higher.
Some governments blame the Biden administration’s removal of American soldiers in Afghanistan for aiding Al-Qaeda’s rebuilding stature [Source]. However, Biden defended his actions to end the war that had been going on for a long time.
Given the US intelligence organizations’ prowess in unearthing hidden plots, one is enabled to trust the unraveled truth on Al-Qaeda’s activities. This will push the American authorities to prioritize the safety of their country against another 9/11 or even more intensified attacks.
