US Joint State chief warns civil war in Afghanistan could lead to re-enactment of Al Qaeda

United States Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley warned of the “likely” development of a “civil war” in Afghanistan, which would lead to the “reconstitution of al-Qaeda or the growth of the Islamic State ”.

“The conditions for a civil war in Afghanistan are likely to develop … I don’t know if the Taliban will consolidate power and establish governance“Milley said in an interview with US media. Fox News.

The general said the “great likelihood of a widespread civil war” would lead to “conditions which could lead to the Re-establishment of Al-Qaeda or the growth of Islamic states and other terrorist groups”.

Afghanistan was the birthplace of Al-Qaeda in the late 1980s and twice served as a refuge for its leader, Osama bin Laden, and to this day it will continue to host its “number one” current, Ayman al Zawahiri.

“You could see a resurgence of terrorism coming from this region in general in twelve, 24, 36 months. And we will watch thisMilley added, to take on the increased difficulty of working on security in the region now that the United States has withdrawn from the Central Asian country.

On the other hand, He assured that the United States “will continue to conduct attack operations” in case there are threats against the country.

Fights at Panjshir

Warning of “civil war” in Afghanistan comes as territory unfolds intense fighting between the Taliban and the National Resistance Front Afghan (FNR) in Panjshir province.

Resistance has its bastion and until Saturday, he denied that the Taliban had taken control of the territory, although they continue to claim progress in it.

One of the spokesman for the insurgency, Bilal Karimi, indicated, via his Twitter profile, that, until this Sunday morning, the Taliban had taken “almost the whole province”, “with the exception of the districts of Roja and Bazarak”. According to these statements, six of the eight districts of the province are in the hands of the insurgents.

The Panjshir Valley is a former anti-Taliban stronghold, made public by the legendary commander Ahmed Shah Masud in the late 1990s, before being assassinated by Al-Qaeda in 2001. Today it is home to the FNR, which is integrated by local militias and former members of the Afghan security forces who came to the valley when the rest of the country fell to the Islamists.

According to the Italian NGO Urgence, present in Panjshir, the Taliban forces arrived Friday evening in Anabah, a town located about 25 km inland from the valley, 115 kilometers long.

When Taliban sources claimed to have taken Panjshir province, it led to celebratory gunfire in the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing around 17 people, according to the Tolo network. Then the resistance denied the capture of the province, its stronghold, and now new details provided by the Taliban confirm that the fighting is continuing.

(With information from Europa Press and AFP)

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