Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley said that it is “likely” that circumstances of a civil war could start to be seen in Afghanistan now that the United States does not have a military presence in the area and that this type of conflict could cause a “reconstitution” of terror organizations like al-Qaeda or ISIS.
“Well you know this is a thing I have thought a lot about,” General Milley said this Saturday during an interview with FOX News. “And I personally believe that my estimate is that conditions could exist of a civil war. I do not know if the Taliban will be able to consolidate their power and create governance – they may or may not.”
“But I believe there’s at least a very good possibility of a large civil war, and that will then cause conditions that might in fact, lead to the reconstitution of al Qaeda or the growth of ISIS or other terror groups,” he said.
The general stressed that, now that United States troops have been gotten out from Afghanistan, maintaining U.S. intel. and security in the area will be increasingly hard.
“We will have to recreate some human intel networks, etc.,” he said. “And then as the opportunities show themselves, we will have to have strike operations if there is a threat to the U.S.”
President Biden has previously stated that “over horizon” counterterrorism will continue through the usage of airstrikes instead of keeping boots on the ground.
However, Milley also said that the United States returning to the nation of Afghanistan was still possible but that it was too early to provide a final answer, saying that he “would not say yes or no to anything.”
This comes after the chaotic ending and final evacuation of United States troops from Afghanistan on August 31, which marked the close to the 20-year war. Hundreds of Americans are now trying to be evacuated but remain in the area, which is now under Taliban rule.
President Biden has been criticized by both Republicans and Democrats for his mismanaged withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Author: Steven Sinclaire
