WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th April, 2021) Al-Qaeda (a terrorist group outlawed in Russia) continues to pose a threat to remaining US personnel in Afghanistan through their interaction with the Taliban, the Department of Defense said in a report to Congress entitled "Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan."
"AQ [al-Qaeda]'s regional affiliate, AQIS [al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent] poses a threat to US personnel and allies in Afghanistan through its continued interaction with local Taliban commanders," the report said on Friday.
Earlier this month, President Joe Biden approved a full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan after almost 20 years by September 11. Biden maintained that the main purpose of the US invasion of the country in November 2001 to prevent any future terror attacks on the American homeland had now been met.
The Pentagon report to Congress said al-Qaeda had been degraded in Afghanistan but cautioned that the terror group was still capable of attacking Americans in the country.
"AQ [Al-Qaeda]s remaining core leaders pose a limited threat to US and coalition forces in Afghanistan because the leaders focus primarily on survival," it said.
The Taliban, al-Qaeda and its regional affiliate al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) along with other violent extremist organizations and organized criminal networks continued to threaten stability and security in Afghanistan, the report added.
