US intelligence finds Al-Qaeda 'has not reconstituted its presence in Afghanistan': Report

The latest US intelligence assessment stated that Al-Qaeda “has not reconstituted its presence in Afghanistan" since all American troops left the country in August 2021 and the Taliban took over Kabul. The new intelligence report was prepared after the US drone strike killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri while he was walking on the balcony of his home in Kabul. 

According to the summary of the intelligence assessment obtained by CNN, the consensus view of the intelligence community is that there are fewer than a dozen Al-Qaeda "core members" in the war-torn country, who were likely present in the nation before the Taliban reconquered. It further stated that Zawahiri was the only key figure who had tried to reestablish himself in the aftermath of the hasty US troop withdrawal. 

According to the assessment by the United States, the remaining members of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan did not take part in external attack planning and the group as a whole “does not have a capability to launch attacks against the US or its interests abroad from Afghanistan”, the report stated. Moreover, US officials have told the media outlet that the questions remain if the risk of the group could grow over time despite the latest assessment. 

It is mentioned that US officials are still concerned about the terrorist activity originating in Afghanistan to spread outside the country’s borders and the US could be blind to it considering the reduced intelligence power in the country now ruled by the Taliban for one year. The US intelligence has reportedly cautioned that Al-Qaeda “has several affiliates we believe it would call upon outside the region to drive potential plots”. 

US to remain ‘vigilant’ in Afghanistan

According to the US media outlet, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said that the US “will continue to remain vigilant, along with our partners, to defend our nation and ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorism” while adding, "We demonstrated our commitment to that last month when we removed the leader of Al-Qaeda from the battlefield. In doing so, we showed that, without American forces on the ground in Afghanistan and in harm's way, we remain able to identify and locate even the world's most wanted terrorist, and then take action."

Image: AP