Washington, D.C. – The United States (US) Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard, has made a sharp warning that Afghanistan has turned into an epicentre and permissive base of significant terrorist groups. Her evaluation highlights an increasing threat to global security, confirming the fears of regional partners such as Pakistan regarding cross-border terrorism.
The office of the DNI reports that currently, Afghanistan has offered an uncontrolled operational base to groups as ISIS-K, Al-Qaida, and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). This climate is allowing these extremist groups to freely train, recruit, coordinate, and reestablish their capabilities without being effectively hampered.
“Afghanistan is functioning as a hub,” DNI Gabbard noted, highlighting that the nation is now a source of extremist activity that threatens stability far beyond its borders, including the United States.
The Threat to the US Homeland
A particularly alarming finding from the intelligence report concerns Afghan evacuees who came to the US. Data indicates that over 18,000 individuals among these evacuees were identified as terrorists or suspects in terror-related activity. Over 2,000 of them are directly associated with such large networks as Al-Qaida and ISIS.
To counter this serious threat, several US agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), are undertaking intense re-vetting of all the Afghan refugees to properly gauge and curb the terror threat to American citizens.
US intelligence also confirms that Afghan-based extremists are actively plotting external attacks against the United States, requiring the recruitment of new operatives to execute their plans. The sheer quantity of evacuees associated with ISIS-K and Al-Qaida points to the international scope of these groups, operating out of their bases in Afghanistan.
Pakistan: The Primary Target of Cross-Border Violence
The DNI warning is well-timed with the concerns Pakistan has always voiced about instability along its western frontier.
The report clearly points out that Pakistan is one of the primary targets of cross-border terrorism, and attacks have been launched or coordinated through the Afghanistan territory.
The TTP, specifically, still commands its safe area of operation in Afghanistan to organize, prepare, and carry out attacks in Pakistan.
The continued instances of cross-border attacks and intrusion attempts reinforce the entrenched nature of terror infrastructure on the Afghan side of the border.
The intelligence assessment concludes that the lack of counterterrorism enforcement within Afghanistan is allowing these terror outfits to regenerate and expand their networks, targeting Pakistan and, increasingly, plotting attacks that reach much farther globally.
