Al-Qaida, the terrorist group responsible for a number of
high-profile terror attacks including 9/11, may stage a comeback in Afghanistan
with the Taliban now in control, said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin while
speaking to the media in Kuwait at the conclusion of a four-day tour of the
Persian Gulf States. If that happens, the United States is prepared to take
measures to prevent such a comeback, the defense secretary said.

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“The whole community is kind of watching to see what happens
and whether or not al-Qaida has the ability to regenerate in Afghanistan,” Lloyd
Austin said. The defense secretary added that it is in the nature of al-Qaida
and they will always attempt to find space to grow and regenerate. Austin cited
the examples of how al-Qaida has spread in Somalia and said that the group can
make inroads into any other ungoverned space.

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The Taliban have shared a long relationship with the
al-Qaida. It had provided shelter to the terrorist group from 1996 to 2001
while it ruled Afghanistan and was the primary reason why the United States
invaded and ousted the Taliban from power.

In course of US’ two decades long war efforts in
Afghanistan, the al-Qaida was diminished. But with the Taliban back in power,
questions are being raised on whether al-Qaida will once again make inroads
into the war-torn country plagued by political instability, an economic system
on verge of ruin and a burgeoning food crisis.

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In February 2020, the United States signed an agreement with
the Taliban where the Taliban leadership pledged that they would not support
al-Qaida or any other extremist groups. “We put the Taliban on notice that we
expect them to not allow that to happen,” the US Secretary of Defense said
referring to the possibility of al-Qaida using Afghanistan as a base in the
future.

(With inputs from Associated Press)