The number of militants of the terrorist organization "Al-Qaeda" (banned in the Russian Federation) in Afghanistan has increased since the Americans withdrew their troops from there at the end of August.
This was stated in an interview with the Associated Press by the head of the Central Command (CENTCOM) of the US Armed Forces, General Kenneth Mackenzie.
"I think their numbers [in Afghanistan] have increased somewhat. There is a presence of [Al-Qaeda]. We believed that it had significantly decreased by the end of this conflict [the end of the US military operation in Afghanistan]. I think some people have probably returned [to Afghan territory]. But this is one of the "topics" that we are following. Right now I'm not ready to tell you with certainty the number of [Al-Qaeda fighters]," McKenzie said.
The general added that the lack of reliable protection of the Afghan borders allows Al-Qaeda militants to return to Afghanistan, which they are doing.
"We would like the Taliban (banned in Russia) to take a tough stance against Al-Qaeda. I think there are disagreements within the Taliban about [their] further actions. So we are still trying to figure out how the Taliban intends to act. I think in the next couple of months there will be more clarity on this for us," the head of SENTOCOM added.
He also noted that after the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, the terrorist group ISIS-Khorasan is also becoming more active there.
"We should expect the activation of the [Afghan branch] of ISIS. It would be amazing if this didn't happen. Let's see how much the Taliban will be able to take effective measures against them [ISIS-Khorasan]," Mackenzie said during an interview.
We should add that Al-Qaeda was openly based and had training camps for its militants in Afghanistan during the first period of Taliban rule - from 1996 to 2001. It was the presence of Al-Qaeda bases that became the main reason for the invasion of Afghanistan in the fall of 2001.
After the withdrawal of American and other foreign troops from Afghanistan this summer, US President Joe Biden stated that the Americans had achieved their main goal — the defeat of Al-Qaeda on Afghan territory.
At the same time, the ISIS-Khorasan group has significantly strengthened after the Taliban seized power. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in mid-October that up to two thousand militants of this terrorist organization had accumulated in the northern Afghan provinces alone, writes Dialog.tj .
