According to a report by Star and Stripes, the head of US Central Command, Michael Kurilla, stated that Daesh in Afghanistan could pose a threat to American or Western interests outside the country in less than six months “with little to no warning”. During a Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, Kurilla stated that Daesh is quickly developing the ability to carry out “external operations” in Asia and Europe. He further added that “My commanders estimate that they can do an external operation against US or Western interests in under six months with little to know warning.” Kurilla did not disclose why he had made such an assessment. However, he stated that it would be more challenging for them to launch an attack against the homeland.
The Islamic Emirate spokesperson, Zabiullah Mujahid, has denied Kurilla’s statement and said that Daesh is being eliminated in Afghanistan. He added that Afghanistan is not a place for anyone to threaten other countries, and the world knows that Daesh has been hit hard.
Senator Jack Reed, a US democrat, stated that President Joe Biden has pledged that Afghanistan will not become a harbor for terrorist groups such as ISIS, al-Qaeda, or other terrorist groups. He further added that the Biden administration has committed to ensuring that Afghanistan cannot be used as a base for conducting attacks against the United States or its allies.
Various political analysts have given their opinions on this matter. Asadullah Nadim, a military veteran, said, “Daesh neither has the goal to attack US interests nor the capacity to do so. It even doesn’t have the capacity to attack the weak countries. It is only a misery for the people of Afghanistan”.
It is noteworthy that the Islamic Emirate has killed two key members of the Daesh group within the last month [1].