Centcom chief
WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: General Kenneth Frank McKenzie, the former Centcom chief stated that the militant Islamic State group (Daesh/IS) has become a more serious threat than Al Qaeda following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Gen Erik Kurilla, the current Centcom chief, expressed similar concerns in a recent interview. He suggested that the IS/Daesh could potentially carry out an “external operation” against the United States in less than six months.
During his tenure as the head of Centcom, which is responsible for operations in the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of South Asia, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, Gen McKenzie oversaw the withdrawal of the US troops.
When asked about his perspective on Gen Kurilla’s warning of an IS attack within “six months,” McKenzie asserted that the IS has always harbored the intention to attack Americans on their soil, describing it as a core tenet and belief of theirs. He added that the withdrawal from Afghanistan has made it significantly more challenging for the United States to pursue its objectives in fighting terrorists.
Gen McKenzie, who retired in April the previous year, expressed regret over the US evacuation from Afghanistan and characterized it as a “wrong decision.” He emphasized that the IS, particularly in Afghanistan, is exploiting the vast ungoverned spaces in the region and appears to be gaining strength since the August 2021 pullout. He warned that history would judge the US withdrawal as a critical error that allowed militants to regain a foothold in the country.
Speaking on the 22nd anniversary of the September 11 attacks in the United States, Gen McKenzie shared his belief that history would ultimately view the decision to leave Afghanistan and the manner in which it was executed as a fatal flaw. He also expressed his numerous regrets regarding the US evacuation from Afghanistan, including the fundamental decision itself, which he considered to be wrong. This decision ultimately facilitated the rapid takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, leading to the evacuation of Americans and refugees seeking safety, a development Gen McKenzie acknowledged he would regret for the rest of his life.
