WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES – General Scott Miller, the last commander of NATO and US forces in Afghanistan says that the Taliban have maintained or re-established ties with terrorist groups including Al-Qaeda. He emphasized that Al-Qaeda continues to pose a serious threat to the United States, a diversion from current US military officials who claim that the group does not threaten American security anymore.
In a transcribed interview released by the US House Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday, May 20, the retired US general said, “I think as long as Al-Qaeda is out there with an idea and some operatives, there is some threat to, if not the homeland, to US interests.”
He also criticized the Taliban for failing to adhere to the conditions of the 2020 Doha Agreement signed with the US, noting that the agreement included a requirement to reduce violence, which the Taliban did not fulfill. Instead, “what they did is they changed their violence, they went full in on the Afghan checkpoints and trying to dump a body count up.”
The Taliban’s 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, IS-KP, and TTP, all of which pose a significant threat to regional and global stability.
In a report last year, the UN Security Council also stated that Al-Qaeda maintained a close relationship with the Taliban and had infiltrated the regime’s government institutions with support of high-ranking Taliban authorities.
The report highlighted that Al-Qaeda uses Afghanistan as an ideological and logistical hub to recruit new fighters and “covertly rebuild its external operations capability.” Moreover, the group has established new training centers in eastern Kunar and Nuristan provinces of the country.
Scott Miller served as the last commander of the international forces in Afghanistan whose tour of duty ended right before the country descended into Taliban control in the wake of the chaotic American withdrawal. Mr. Miller was a key player in the US talks with the Taliban in Doha which culminated in the Doha Agreement that provided for the full military withdrawal and the Taliban’s resurgence to power.
In his interview, Mr. Miller further reportedly said that following President Biden’s announcement of a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan, there was an immediate negative impact on the Taliban’s behavior towards negotiating with the US-backed republic government for a power-sharing arrangement.
The US general described the mindset of the Taliban authorities as: “Why even talk to this group of Afghans who are here talking about a power-sharing agreement? We have what we want here now. We don’t need a power-sharing agreement,” referring to their deal with the United States.
According to general Miller, NATO allies were not pleased with the US decision to draw down troops to zero, saying, “They certainly were unhappy, and they voiced that unhappiness in different publications.”
The withdrawal of US troops in August 2021 resulted in the rapid collapse of the republican government and military, both of which had received support from the US and its allies for nearly two decades, ultimately paving the way for the Taliban’s return to power.
Over the last two years, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee has been arranging hearings, testimonies and transcribed interviews from individuals involved in the withdrawal, including Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, special envoys for Afghanistan, and the country’s top generals.
