{"id":2334163,"date":"2024-08-30T07:46:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T11:46:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lost-authority-isis-threat-growing-in-afghanistan-under-limited-us-pressure-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-30T07:57:03","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T11:57:03","slug":"lost-authority-isis-threat-growing-in-afghanistan-under-limited-us-pressure-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lost-authority-isis-threat-growing-in-afghanistan-under-limited-us-pressure-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Lost Authority: ISIS threat growing in Afghanistan under limited US pressure &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flost-authority-isis-threat-growing-in-afghanistan-under-limited-us-pressure-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2334163&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article &#8220;Lost Authority: ISIS threat growing in \u200bAfghanistan\u2062 under limited US \u200bpressure&#8221; from the \u2064Washington Examiner \u2062examines the increasing threat\u2064 of ISIS in Afghanistan following the \u2063U.S. military withdrawal in 2021. It notes that while ISIS has\u2064 lost territory in Iraq and Syria,\u2064 its affiliate, ISIS-K, has gained strength in\u200b Afghanistan and its\u2063 surrounding regions. The Biden administration&#8217;s credibility is said to be declining, and\u200c its lack of a robust counterterrorism \u200bstrategy has\u2064 contributed to this resurgence. <\/p>\n<p>Experts emphasize that the\u2063 Taliban, although \u2062not aligned with ISIS-K, have not effectively countered its influence, creating a\u2062 power vacuum filled\u200c by \u2063extremist \u2063groups. The U.S. military&#8217;s reliance on &#8220;over-the-horizon&#8221; capabilities for intelligence and strikes\u200b is deemed inadequate,\u2062 resulting in a\u200d decreased ability to\u200c respond to threats. Former military officials express concern that the lack of sustained\u2063 pressure on ISIS-K has enabled it to grow and \u2064plan attacks\u2063 both within Afghanistan and internationally.<\/p>\n<p>The article highlights the nature of \u200bcontemporary terrorism as decentralized, with ISIS&#8217;s\u2064 influence \u2062spreading beyond traditional strongholds. U.S. military and\u200c intelligence operations increasingly depend \u2064on partnerships with \u2064allied nations to combat these threats, as the U.S. \u200ditself struggles to\u200c conduct operations due to limited intelligence. Instances of ISIS attacks in foreign countries demonstrate the global implications\u2062 of \u2062the \u200csituation in \u2064Afghanistan, and \u2062the article \u2064raises alarms about\u200b the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bill-would-allow-feds-to-purge-u-s-military-and-local-police-using-charges-of-hate-crimes\/\" title=\"Bill Would Allow Feds To Purge U.S. Military And Local Police Using Charges Of \u2018Hate Crimes\u2019\">persistent threat posed<\/a> by ISIS \u200ddespite U.S. efforts.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Lost Authority: ISIS threat growing in Afghanistan under limited US pressure<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1738484\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><em>America&rsquo;s allies believe the Biden administration&rsquo;s credibility is deteriorating on the world stage and that it has lost control of escalation management in conflict zones, namely the Middle East and Ukraine. This&nbsp;<\/em>Washington Examiner<em>&nbsp;series,&nbsp;<strong>Lost Authority<\/strong>, will look at the reasons why.&nbsp;Read&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/3134936\/lost-authority-us-allies-lose-respect-biden-approach-escalation-management\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Part 1\">Part 1<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/3131040\/iran-doubts-us-will-respond-several-fronts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Part 2\">Part 2<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/3137418\/lost-authority-china-pressure-campaign-risks-end-of-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Part 1\">Part 3<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The United States&rsquo;s counterterrorism landscape has changed in the three years since the military withdrew from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/afghanistan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Afghanistan<\/a>, ending its nearly two-decade war with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/taliban\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Taliban<\/a> back in power.<\/p>\n<p>While the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/isis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Islamic State<\/a> holds a fraction of the territory in Iraq and Syria that it controlled at its peak 10 years ago, its network of affiliates in other places, such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and various parts of Africa, has been able to increase its capabilities, carry out external attacks, and encourage lone actors across the Western world to do the same in their own communities.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, mired by the Abbey Gate bombing on Aug. 26, 2021, left the Taliban in charge, and while they aren&rsquo;t aligned with ISIS-K, the Taliban have not consistently gone after ISIS-K, thereby allowing it to flourish.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When we create a [power] vacuum, the forces of altruism seldom fill it. If we&rsquo;re going to create a vacuum, we have to conclude that the Islamic State, the Islamic Republic of Iran, or a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-this-average-american-is-voting-for-donald-trump\/\" title=\"Why This Average American Is Voting for Donald Trump\">terrorist group<\/a> like Hamas is going to fill it,&rdquo; Michael Rubin, a senior fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;A rhetorical commitment to maintain counterterrorism is different than a substantive commitment.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">ISIS resurgence in Afghanistan<\/h2>\n<p>When the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hispanic-caucus-takes-aim-at-african-american-veterans-service-on-key-panel\/\" title=\"Hispanic Caucus Takes Aim at African-American Veteran\u2019s Service on Key Panel\">defense officials<\/a> said they would rely on the military&rsquo;s over-the-horizon capabilities, or their capability to carry out strikes from afar without having boots on the ground to gather real-time intelligence. In the three years since, however, the U.S. has acknowledged carrying out one such operation, targeting Osama bin Laden&rsquo;s successor as the leader of al Qaeda, Ayman al Zawahiri, who was killed on July 31, 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Gen. Michael &ldquo;Erik&rdquo; Kurilla, commander of the U.S. Central Command, described Afghanistan as a &ldquo;safe haven&rdquo; for ISIS-K and similar groups in March. Retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, Kurilla&rsquo;s predecessor, argued earlier this month on the <em>School of War<\/em> podcast that &ldquo;ISIS-K flourishes now in Afghanistan,&rdquo; adding, &ldquo;Our ability to actually look into Afghanistan, understand what goes on in Afghanistan, is such a small percentage of what it used to be that is effectively zero.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Despite the repeated invocations of over-the-horizon capabilities from the Pentagon, carrying out strikes and operations without having personnel in the country relaying real-time sensitive intelligence is very challenging. Retired Gen. H.R. McMaster, former President Donald Trump&rsquo;s national security adviser, wrote in his new book that the over-the-horizon capabilities &ldquo;approach to counterterrorism would have little effect on terrorist organizations.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We maintain a variety of capabilities, to include over-the-horizon capabilities, should we need to do that,&rdquo; Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, Pentagon spokesman, said earlier this month. &ldquo;But I think most importantly, we&rsquo;ll continue to work with our partners in the region when it comes to addressing terrorism through our mutual counterterrorism efforts.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Kurilla told lawmakers in March that while the Taliban have &ldquo;targeted some key ISIS-Khorasan leaders in 2023,&rdquo; they had demonstrated &ldquo;neither the capability nor the intent to sustain adequate counterterrorism pressure,&rdquo; and as a result, &ldquo;this lack of sustained pressure allowed ISIS-K to regenerate and harden their networks, creating multiple redundant nodes that direct, enable, and inspire attacks. &hellip; We do not expect that dynamic to change.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Decentralized terrorist landscape<\/h2>\n<p>The Pentagon maintains that even without a presence in Afghanistan, the terrorism landscape has become decentralized over the last couple of years.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We have seen the terrorism landscape evolve over the past few years,&rdquo; Lisa Lawrence, a Department of Defense spokeswoman, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.&nbsp;&ldquo;We used to see centralized, directed external operations by terrorist leaders, including al Qaeda&rsquo;s Osama Bin Laden, or the declaration of ISIS&rsquo;s global caliphate.&nbsp;The threat today is more ideologically diffuse and geographically diverse.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Taliban fighter checks an Islamic State group house destroyed in the conflict between the two in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. (AP Photo\/Ebrahim Noroozi)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Department of Defense has seen &ldquo;the ISIS threat metastasize over the years,&rdquo;&nbsp;Christopher Maier, the assistant secretary for special operations and low-intensity conflict, said&nbsp;last week. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s no longer in just Syria and Iraq. We&rsquo;ve seen ISIS-Khorasan out of Afghanistan, but really out of that kind of broad South Asia, Central Asia region.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Maier, in his comments last week at a Defense Writers Group event, argued that simply viewing the U.S.&rsquo;s counterterrorism performance by the number of strikes it has conducted in Afghanistan over the last three years is &ldquo;a little bit too simplistic.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>However, McKenzie said in March, &ldquo;We have almost no ability to see into that country and almost no ability to strike into that country. And so, ISIS is able to grow unabated. There&rsquo;s no pressure on them.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He added: &ldquo;It began to grow as soon as [the U.S.] left Afghanistan, took pressure off ISIS-K. So I think we should expect further attempts of this nature against the United States as well as our partners and other nations abroad. I think this is inevitable.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">US facilitates partners<\/h2>\n<p>Maier echoed Lawrence&rsquo;s sentiment that the U.S. strategy is now &ldquo;much more relying on our partners and allies to help us and work with us to identify where these threat vectors may be and disrupt them,&rdquo; noting that U.S. partners are often making the arrests now.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Often it is not the United States doing the arrests &mdash; it&rsquo;s us facilitating partners. The scope has gotten bigger, to the point where we&rsquo;re already answering the question on Europe,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Often it&rsquo;s Europeans or others that are the ones who are on point of conducting arrests, disruptions, and such.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>ISIS-K has carried out attacks this year outside of Afghanistan and inspired others, though the U.S. intelligence community has been able to uncover the plots before they happened. The U.S. government has a &ldquo;duty to warn&rdquo; policy that requires it to inform another country of threats to specific people or groups, which is why in those cases the U.S. has reached out to the relevant foreign counterparts to inform them of the intelligence.<\/p>\n<p>ISIS-K carried out a bombing in early January in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Iran<\/a>&nbsp;near the burial site of the slain&nbsp;Soleimani&nbsp;that killed more than&nbsp;80 people and injured more than 280 others, while in March,&nbsp;ISIS<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/2934527\/gunmen-open-fire-at-moscow-concert-hall\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&nbsp;gunmen opened fire<\/a>&nbsp;with automatic weapons at a crowded concert venue on the outskirts of Moscow,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/russia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Russia<\/a>, killing at least 137 people and injuring more.<\/p>\n<p>In both cases, the U.S. had intelligence to indicate a terrorist attack could occur and passed it along to its partners in Tehran and Moscow, respectively, but neither was able to thwart the attacks from taking place.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;One thing I would highlight is U.S. intelligence seems to be remarkably aware of some of the plots. It warned the Russians and warned the Iranians,&rdquo; Daniel&nbsp;Byman, a senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the&nbsp;<em>Washington Examiner.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Multiple teenagers radicalized by ISIS were arrested earlier in August for plotting to target a Taylor Swift concert by Austrian authorities, who were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/cia-we-helped-austria-foil-taylor-swift-terror-plot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"tipped off by the Central Intelligence Agency\">tipped off by the CIA<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this photo released by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service on Saturday, March 23, 2024, firefighters work in the burned concert hall after an attack on the building of the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;The Austrians were able to make those arrests because the agency and our partners in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cia-takes-credit-for-taylor-swift-terrorism-plot-arrests-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"CIA takes credit for Taylor Swift terrorism plot arrests - Washington Examiner\">intelligence community provided<\/a> them information about what this ISIS-connected group was planning to do,&rdquo; CIA Deputy Director David Cohen said Wednesday at the Intelligence and National Security Summit.<\/p>\n<p>Cohen said the alleged perpetrators intended &ldquo;to kill a huge number of people, tens of thousands at this concert, including, I&rsquo;m sure, many Americans.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Maier noted that the department has benefitted from some Central Asian countries &ldquo;becoming more attuned to the threat from Afghanistan,&rdquo; though he did not provide specific details about which nations they are working alongside.<\/p>\n<p>ISIS is also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/3088747\/isis-attacks-syria-iraq-rising-dramatically\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>expected to double its number of attacks<\/a> carried out this year compared to last, CENTCOM announced last month. The U.S. and allies involved in the &ldquo;Defeat ISIS&rdquo; campaign have carried out 196 operations this year as of that announcement, which resulted in the deaths of 44&nbsp;ISIS&nbsp;operatives and the apprehension of 166 others. About 70% of the missions took place in&nbsp;Iraq. Experts believe the number could be even higher.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, U.S. forces targeted and killed Abu-&rsquo;Abd al Rahman al Makki, senior leader of the al Qaeda affiliate Hurras al Din, in Syria, which Lawrence said demonstrated the military&rsquo;s preservation of its &ldquo;ability to conduct unilateral [counterterrorism] operations,&rdquo; though the U.S. has forces in Syria making it easier to carry out such targeted strikes.<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon and its Iraqi counterparts are in discussions to transition the military mission there, though the outcome is not clear.&nbsp;There are roughly 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq and about&nbsp;900&nbsp;in Syria, and their mission is to prevent an ISIS resurgence.<\/p>\n<p>Kurilla warned lawmakers that if U.S. forces left Iraq before its partner forces were independently sufficient, his assessment is that ISIS &ldquo;would reconstitute the ability to seize territory within two years.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A major factor in defeating ISIS in Iraq and Syria is the repatriation and reintegration of displaced people from refugee camps such as al Hol and the repatriation and prosecution of ISIS detainees held in prisons in Syria. There are roughly 43,000 men, women, and children in the al Hol camp in Syria, one of the largest such camps.<\/p>\n<p>Kurilla has continued to stress that getting these civilians repatriated could prevent a new generation from getting radicalized.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1738484\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1738484\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>**Diminished Influence: The Rising ISIS Threat in Afghanistan Amid Limited U.S. Pressure**<\/p>\n<p>Allies of the United States perceive that the Biden administration&#8217;s credibility is waning globally and that it has lost its grip on managing escalations in conflict areas, particularly in the Middle East and Ukraine. This series from the Washington Examiner, titled &#8220;Diminished Influence,&#8221; will explore these issues further. <\/p>\n<p>Since the U.S. military&#8217;s withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago, which marked nearly two decades of war against the Taliban, the counterterrorism landscape has shifted significantly. Although ISIS controls only a small portion of territory in Iraq and Syria compared to its peak ten years ago, its affiliates have expanded their capabilities elsewhere\u2014particularly in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and various regions across Africa\u2014enabling them to conduct external attacks and inspire lone actors within Western communities.<\/p>\n<p>The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan was highlighted by a bombing at Abbey Gate on August 26, 2021, which left the Taliban back in power. While they are not directly aligned with ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), their inconsistent efforts to combat this group have allowed it to thrive. Michael Rubin from the American Enterprise Institute noted that when a power vacuum is created, it is often filled by extremist groups rather than benevolent forces.<\/p>\n<p>**Resurgence of ISIS in Afghanistan**<\/p>\n<p>Following their exit from Afghanistan, U.S. defense officials indicated they would depend on over-the-horizon capabilities for counterterrorism operations\u2014conducting strikes remotely without ground troops for real-time intelligence gathering. However, since then there has been only one notable operation: targeting Ayman al-Zawahiri on July 31, 2022.<\/p>\n<p>General Michael &#8220;Erik&#8221; Kurilla described Afghanistan as a &#8220;safe haven&#8221; for ISIS-K earlier this year while retired General Frank McKenzie stated that ISIS-K is currently thriving due to insufficient surveillance and pressure following U.S. withdrawal.<\/p>\n<p>Despite claims about over-the-horizon capabilities being effective against terrorism without direct presence on ground level being challenging; retired General H.R. McMaster criticized this approach as largely ineffective against terrorist organizations.<\/p>\n<p>Maj. Gen Patrick Ryder emphasized ongoing collaboration with regional partners to address terrorism threats but acknowledged limitations regarding direct action within Afghanistan itself due to lack of intelligence resources.<\/p>\n<p>Kurilla informed lawmakers that while some key leaders of ISIS-K were targeted by Taliban forces recently; overall capability or intent for sustained counterterrorism efforts remains inadequate allowing for regeneration of networks capable of orchestrating attacks\u2014a situation expected not to change soon.<\/p>\n<p>**Decentralized Terrorist Landscape**<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon asserts that even without boots on ground within Afghan territory; terrorism dynamics have become more decentralized over recent years according Lisa Lawrence from DoD who remarked how threats today are ideologically diverse compared with past centralized operations led by figures like Osama Bin Laden or during declarations such as those made by ISIS regarding global caliphate establishment.<\/p>\n<p>Christopher Maier noted an expansion beyond just Iraq\/Syria into broader regions including South Asia where groups like ISIS-K operate freely now posing significant challenges ahead especially given limited visibility into these areas post-U.S exit leading experts like McKenzie predicting inevitable future attempts at attacks targeting both American interests abroad alongside allies worldwide unless pressure mounts again soon enough through strategic partnerships established previously before troop withdrawals occurred altogether leaving gaps exploited readily thereafter instead!<\/p>\n<p>U.S.-led coalition efforts under \u201cDefeat-ISIS\u201d campaign reported conducting numerous operations resulting casualties among operatives yet still facing uphill battle maintaining stability long-term amidst rising numbers indicating potential resurgence if proactive measures aren\u2019t taken swiftly enough moving forward!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2671,"featured_media":2334164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AP22236516261521-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[7228,3937,23344,6039,33489],"class_list":["post-2334163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-afghanistan","tag-isis","tag-national-security","tag-terrorism","tag-us-military"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AP22236516261521-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2334163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2671"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2334163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2334163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2334164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2334163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2334163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2334163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}