Secretary of Defense Policy Secretary Colin Cal today (Wednesday) warned that the Afghan branch of ISIS (ISIS-K) would be able to develop counter-terrorism capabilities against America "within six months to a year" during a briefing before the Senate Armed Forces Committee. That the al Qaeda terrorist organization may rehabilitate itself within two years from today.
The remarks come amid discussions surrounding the West's withdrawal from Afghanistan which was accompanied by a suicide bombing at Kabul International Airport, which claimed the lives of 170 civilians and 13 Marines on August 26.
During a discussion with committee members, the senior official who served as national security adviser under Joe Biden during his tenure as Barack Obama's vice president was asked about the chances of the Taliban succeeding in blocking the Islamic State: "Our assessment is that the Taliban and ISIS in Afghanistan are dangerous enemies.
"The Taliban is highly motivated to follow ISIS. Their ability to do so, I think, has yet to be determined," he said, noting that the organization numbers "several thousand fighters."
With the withdrawal came the end of a 20-year American sojourn in Afghanistan, as well as the collapse of Ashraf Ghani's government, and finally the return of the Taliban to control.
