WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES – The former commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), General Frank McKenzie, says that the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan (IS-KP) has a “strong desire” to attack the US and its partners. He warns that such an attack is “inevitable.”
In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, March 31, General McKenzie emphasized that the threat is growing significantly, especially in the aftermath of the terrorist group’s claim of responsibility for the deadly attack in Moscow earlier this month and a mass bombing in Iran in January.
“We should believe them when they say that they’re going to try to do it,” he said.
The former top US general noted that the capabilities of the Islamic State branch in Afghanistan began growing following the US withdrawal. To counter that threat effectively, he said maintaining a small troop presence in Afghanistan was necessary.
“If you can keep pressure on them … in their homeland and their base, it makes it hard for them to conduct these types of attacks,” he said.
The retired General who oversaw the chaotic American withdrawal from Afghanistan that brought the Taliban back to power believes that the absence of US boots on the ground gives terrorist groups such as the affiliates of the Islamic State a free space to operate and grow.
“Unfortunately, we no longer place that pressure on them, so they’re free to gain strength, they’re free to plan, they’re free to coordinate.”
The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has intensified security concerns within the region and the global community. These concerns are rooted in the potential resurgence of terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, ISIS-K, and TTP, all of which pose a significant threat to regional and global stability.
The outside world is increasingly alarmed by the escalating threat posed by IS-KP, particularly after its deadly attack in Moscow, which claimed over 130 lives, and its attacks in Iran’s Kerman city on January 3, killed nearly 100 people and injured over 300 others.
After former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley, General Mackenzie is the second high-ranking military official involved with the withdrawal from Afghanistan who publicly criticizes the Biden Administration’s decision. Previously, General Milley had said that his advice to keep a light footprint in Afghanistan had been ignored by President Biden.
Despite the Taliban’s claim of having suppressed IS-KP in Afghanistan and assuring the regional and international community that Afghanistan poses no threat to them, a new report shows that the regime is unable to prevent these groups from launching attacks outside Afghanistan.
The report, released by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a research group based in Washington, on Friday, March 29, indicated that the threat from Salafi-Jihadi groups in Afghanistan could worsen overtime.
“The longer the Taliban government controls Afghanistan the more Salafi-jihadi groups will strengthen themselves by embedding themselves into local Afghan communities,” the report said.
The report also highlighted that IS-KP has successfully infiltrated the Taliban’s security forces, thereby compromising the regime’s ability to effectively counter IS-KP.
“Taliban security forces have repeatedly arrested local Taliban officials on charges of working for ISKP, particularly in northern and central Afghanistan,” the Washington-based think tank said in its report.
Meanwhile, a CNN report indicates that IS-KP is increasingly directing its attention towards Europe, citing events like this year’s Paris Olympics as potential targets.
“ISIS-K has ambitions far beyond south Asia, aiming to target Russia, western Europe and even the United States,” the report said. “European security agencies are paying heightened attention to the threat, even if ISIS-K’s capabilities are yet to match its ambitions,” it added.
CNN quoted Fitton Brown, the former coordinator of UN sanctions and threat assessment, who cautioned that IS-KP has established connections within the Central Asian diaspora, particularly in Russia and Turkey, and to some extent in Germany.
“I hope I’m wrong,” he told CNN, “but I’m very worried about the Paris Olympics.”
