LONDON: Afghanistan could be used as a base to train terrorists and launch attacks on America over the next two years, according to US intelligence reports.
The CIA has said that Al-Qaeda has been depleted after years of drone strikes and intelligence disruption, but that the tide is starting to turn after the Taliban recaptured Kabul and imposed its new government.
“We’re already beginning to see indications of some potential movement of Al-Qaeda to Afghanistan,” said CIA Deputy Director David Cohen at a recent security conference. “But it’s early days, and we’ll obviously keep a very close eye on that.”
Lt. Gen. 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.” Previous assessments for the group’s revival were given at a minimum of two years.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of a major militant group that operates in the border region with Pakistan, has been appointed interior minister responsible for implementing the promise not to allow Al-Qaeda to regroup. His network has had links with Al-Qaeda since the 1980s.
