ISIS-K is Gaining the Same Ground that Americans are Stranded On
It has been three months since the Biden-Harris Administration finalized the withdrawal of the United States Armed Forces from Afghanistan on August 30th, and Americans are still stranded, waiting to be rescued from the Taliban-controlled region.
Now, either the administration won't tell us, or they don't know just how many Americans have been left behind. But after sifting through the conflicting reports, it's clear that the number of Americans remaining are in the hundreds. Many of these are civilians. There are several dozen immediate and extended family members of U.S. servicemembers, including siblings, parents, and the children of U.S. servicemembers, as recently revealed via a memo released by the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Colin Kahl. What this figure does not include are the countless local Afghans who have assisted our forces for years, such as interpreters and informants, who have also been deserted and face extreme persecution at the hands of the Taliban or the Islamic State if they are ever identified.
Now, there is an even bigger threat to the Americans and allies we've abandoned in Afghanistan: the Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K). ISIS-K is an Islamic State affiliate that is known for recruiting defectors from the Taliban who believe that the Taliban's tactics aren't extreme enough. ISIS-K is active in Afghanistan and other nations and is rapidly growing amongst the current state of disarray in Afghanistan. According to recent reports, it could soon topple the Taliban, who seized power following the withdrawal of our forces on August 30th. Even worse, on October 24th, Under Secretary of Defense Kahl testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee that ISIS-K could be capable of carrying out an attack on the United States within the next six to twelve months.
This chaotic turn of events is a direct result of the Biden-Harris Administration's disastrous and poorly executed withdrawal, which has left Afghanistan even more unstable than it was before our forces first deployed to the region twenty years ago.
What's more, these foreign policy failures don't just threaten the lives of our countrymen and women stranded in Afghanistan but endanger the lives of Americans here at home. With the complete and abrupt removal of our military from Afghanistan, we've cut off a vital source of intelligence for our counterterrorism services, which could be pivotal in preventing the next terrorist attack. These actions by the Administration are not just a display of extreme negligence but are an outright dereliction of duty.
Over the last few months, figures have emerged detailing the immense arsenal of American weaponry and military equipment that has been acquired by the Taliban, as a result of the withdrawal. These figures include over 350,000 assault rifles, 22,000 Humvees, and 100 helicopters which includes more than 30 UH-60 Blackhawks—equipment estimated at over $10 billion in value. Even more troubling is that a large quantity of this equipment is likely to be stolen from the Taliban by ISIS-K or sold by the Taliban on the black market to other extremist jihadist organizations or nations hostile to the United States like Russia, China, Iran. Additionally, unsettling images have emerged that appear to show Taliban fighters wearing U.S. military uniforms.
It is reprehensible that this Administration has deserted hundreds of American servicemembers, their families, and our allies in hostile territory. It's been three months since our final withdrawal, and I am once again calling on the President to do the right thing, stop ignoring this categorical failure, and bring our men and women safely home.