ISLAMABAD: The United States Department of Defence has placed itslong-delayed investigation into the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal on anaccelerated timeline, multiple American sources confirmed this week. Therenewed urgency reflects growing alarm within the U.S. securityestablishment that the chaotic evacuation and subsequent loss ofintelligence assets have allowed terrorist groups, particularly Al-Qaedaand Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K or Daesh), to re-establish operationalbases across Afghanistan.
Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson acknowledged on Tuesday that thereview, originally framed as an after-action assessment of the Kabulairlift, has expanded to examine direct national security consequences,including the erosion of on-ground human intelligence networks that oncehelped disrupt attack plots against the American homeland. The inquiry ispaying particular attention to how the sudden collapse of Afghan securityforces and the breach of Hamid Karzai International Airport perimeter inAugust 2021 created an intelligence vacuum now being exploited bytransnational jihadist organisations.
Security officials privately concede that the withdrawal effectively endedtwo decades of real-time surveillance and strike capability against terrorhubs in eastern and southern Afghanistan. Intelligence assessmentscirculated within Washington in recent months warn that Al-Qaeda hasreconstituted training camps in at least seven provinces while Daeshmaintains active recruitment and attack cells in Kabul, Nangarhar andKunar. The fast-tracked review is widely interpreted as preparatory workfor potential future military action to neutralise these threats beforethey mature into direct dangers to the United States and its allies.
The political temperature rose further following last month’s shootingincident near the White House involving an Afghan evacuee, prompting formerpresident Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers to demand immediatere-examination of vetting procedures for the more than 130,000 Afghansairlifted during Operation Allies Refuge. Homeland security authoritiesinsist that multi-layer biometric and database screening remains robust,yet the episode has strengthened calls for stronger counter-terrorismmeasures inside Afghanistan itself rather than defensive screening atAmerican borders.
Analysts note that placing the Pentagon review on priority status, combinedwith recent increases in over-the-horizon drone surveillance flights fromGulf bases, suggests Washington is laying the diplomatic and legalgroundwork for renewed strikes against terrorist infrastructure. Militaryplanners argue that only direct action against reconstituted Al-Qaeda andDaesh leadership and training facilities can prevent another 9/11-styleattack being planned from Afghan soil.
As the Taliban continues to provide sanctuary to multiple UN-designatedterrorist organisations in clear violation of the 2020 Doha Agreement,pressure is mounting on the Biden administration to abandon its strictno-boots-on-the-ground policy. The forthcoming Pentagon report is expectedto provide the evidentiary foundation for either expanded counter-terrorismoperations or, at minimum, significantly enhanced strike authorities overAfghanistan.
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Source: https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/
Tags: Pentagon, Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda, Daesh, Taliban, Washington
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