CIA Director assures threats will be manageable after US Troops pullout of Afghanistan

The United States war in Afghanistan began as a means of retaliation for the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Then, US troops remained in Afghanistan Al-Qaida could never attack the US again. Now, President Joe Biden has decided to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by September 11. The date marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on America that were coordinated from Afghanistan. The US administration has extended the earlier deadline of May 1 set by the Trump administration in agreement with the Taliban. 

The Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns has now given his view over the US troops withdrawal situation. Burns told Congress on April 14 said that the United States would lose some intelligence information against the extremist threat. He has assured that the losses would be manageable. He said that the US government's ability to gather and respond to threats will not remain the same. Burns said that the CIA and all of our US government partners will retain a set of capabilities, that would help them to anticipate and counter any threat. 

'US' ability to act on threats will diminish'

The U.S. government’s ability to collect and act on threats will diminish. That’s simply a fact. It is also a fact, however, that after withdrawal, whenever that time comes, the CIA and all of our partners in the U.S. government will retain a suite of capabilities, some of it remaining in place, some of them that we will generate, that can help us to anticipate and contest any rebuilding effort, Burns said.

Talking about the number of American troops in Afghanistan, he said when Biden took office, the United States had 2,500 to 3,000 troops in Afghanistan, the lowest number since the war began. During President Barack Obama's first term, the number peaked at 100,000. Last year's presidential election did not mention the Afghanistan war but and ending it now may prove popular. Stephen Biddle, a Columbia University professor who has advised US commanders in Afghanistan, in an email conversation with AP said that once the American troops leave Afghanistan, Al-Qaida will re-establish its base in Afghanistan.

This would be a humanitarian disaster for Afghans — far worse than today’s insurgency, he said.

Last year, the United States and Taliban had signed a deal intending to end the conflict in Afghanistan in Qatar. The agreement called for the US withdrawing its troops in return for security guarantees from the militants and a commitment to starting peace talks with the Afghan government. The Taliban committed to preventing Al Qaeda from using Afghan soil for activities that threaten the US or its allies. 

(Inputs and Image: AP)