Biden’s Sec Def On Taliban Aiding Al Qaeda: We Put Them ‘On Notice’

On Thursday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued the Biden administration’s version of a threat to the Taliban if they allow the terrorist group al-Qaeda, which murdered roughly 3,000 Americans on September 11, 2001, to use Afghanistan as a base from which they can launch attacks, boasting, “We put the Taliban on notice that we expect them to not allow that to happen.”

Austin, visiting various Gulf States, told reporters in Kuwait City, “The whole community is kind of watching to see what happens and whether or not al-Qaida has the ability to regenerate in Afghanistan. The nature of al-Qaeda and (the Islamic State group) is they will always attempt to find space to grow and regenerate, whether it’s there, whether it’s in Somalia, or whether it’s in any other ungoverned space. I think that’s the nature of the organization,” according to the Associated Press, which admitted, “The Taliban had provided al-Qaida with sanctuary while it ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.”

“Al-Qaeda is bound to the Taliban by a pledge of allegiance — or ‘bay’ah’ — which was first offered in the 1990s by Osama Bin Laden to his Taliban counterpart Mullah Omar. The pledge has been renewed several times since, although it has not always been publicly acknowledged by the Taliban,” the BBC noted. “The Arabic word bay’ah is a term meaning a pledge of loyalty to a Muslim leader and is the foundation of fealty between many jihadist groups and their affiliates. It entails obligations for both parties, including obedience by the one offering bay’ah to a leader. Reneging on the pledge is considered a serious offence in Islam.”

Last week, al Qaeda celebrated the Taliban retaking Afghanistan by proclaiming,  “This victory has demonstrated what the Islamic nation is capable of when it unites, takes up arms, and fights in the Way of Allah to defend its Religion. These events prove that the Way of Jihad is the only way that leads to victory and empowerment,” Politico reported, adding, “The group is using the Taliban victory to spread propaganda aimed at galvanizing affiliates and supporters around the world.”

Earlier this week, Austin was asked, “Secretary Austin, over the past few weeks, the U.S. was unable to see emerging threats from the Taliban in Afghanistan, even with ground forces and a 20-year presence.  More recently, we’ve heard from General Milley that he believes that there are emergent threats coming from Afghanistan such as terrorism threats, ones that could pose a threat to the United States.  And so my question is:  Now, with no troops and no ground-based intelligence in Afghanistan, how will the U.S. be able to conduct and stop — conduct operations and stop terrorism threats with only over-the-horizon capabilities?”

Austin admitted, “Well, there’s no question that it will be more difficult to identify and engage threats that emanate from the region, but we’re committed to making sure that threats are not allowed to develop and create significant challenges for us in the homeland.”

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