Jihadis in Afghanistan are working hard to create Golden Age 2.0. Because while God may be great. Slaughtering infidels is so much more satisfying.
A UN team monitoring Afghanistan issued a report that "lays out in detail the growing transnational terrorist threats that have evolved in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over almost two years ago." In particular:
There are an estimated 21 different terrorist groups operating freely in Afghanistan. Some have global ambitions, while some are more regionally focused. The vast majority of these terrorist groups enjoy the hospitality and protection of the Taliban. The two most dangerous groups in Afghanistan that have grown in size since the Taliban’s takeover are Al-Qaeda and Daesh.
Even though Al-Qaeda was specifically mentioned by name in the Taliban’s agreement with the Trump administration, no meaningful action has been taken by the Taliban to stop the group from operating in Afghanistan. In fact, the exact opposite is happening. Senior members of Al-Qaeda, who had not set foot in Afghanistan for almost two decades, are now roaming the land freely.
Al-Qaeda’s reestablished presence in Afghanistan was best highlighted when its leader, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, was killed in a US drone strike in Kabul last summer. According to the latest UN report, Al-Qaeda “maintains a low profile, focusing on using the country as an ideological and logistical hub to mobilize and recruit new fighters while covertly rebuilding its external operations capability.” It also states that “the relationship between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda remained close and symbiotic, with Al-Qaeda viewing Taliban-administered Afghanistan a safe haven.”
Huh. Who knew?
Anyone who wanted to know, knew there was no chance of a more nuanced Taliban 2.0. Now the Taliban and their jihadi friends work for Golden Age 2.0.
But no worries, you say. Pakistan engineered the Taliban victory and will keep them in line. Oh:
On May 9, a months-long political crisis in Pakistan culminated in a direct challenge to the stability of the state following the arrest of the former Prime Minister Imran Khan. In the immediate aftermath, as supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) took to the streets of several major cities across the country, the military and state apparatus struggled to gain control of the situation. Security forces deployed across the Pakistani heartland resorted to a violent crackdown against protesters, and the resulting breakdown in law and order created the sort of volatile environment in which terrorist networks and economies are generally known to thrive. This gave rise to security concerns regarding Islamist terror outfits active within Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan.
We effed up in Afghanistan and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. But who cares? Biden may get his decent interval before those groups with "global ambitions" get organized.
We had a post-Cold War period to help the normals in the Islamic world win the civil war over who defines Islam. But now we have great powers to worry about again and that will hobble our efforts.
If we have time to spare from worrying about Pakistan's nuclear weapons.
Have a super sparkly day.
UPDATE: The State Department actually admitted we screwed the pooch during our Afghanistan skedaddle debacle. Agreeing that we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory is fairly astounding.
What is not astounding is that the president still thinks he was brilliant. FFS. He has no idea what is going on. Tip to Instapundit.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 continues here.
