Taliban suppresses al-Qaeda and acts as U.S. counterterrorism partner
Washington Post columnist David Ignatius claims that senior government officials have told him that the CIA is sharing counterterrorism information with Taliban
WASHINGTON – Michael Leiter, former head of the National Counterterrorism Center, has stated that the interests of the U.S. and the Taliban currentlyruling Afghanistan are aligned under current circumstances.
Washington Post columnist David Ignatius claims that senior government officials and Leiter have told him that the CIA is sharing counterterrorism information with the Taliban.
However, they are not exchanging targeted data or “actionable intelligence.”
According to the columnist, the Taliban have largely suppressed al Qaeda operations in Afghanistan and abroad.
Citing senior government officials, Ignatius says the Taliban also actively fought ISIS – an ultra-extremist group.
“A senior intelligence official specified that the number of core al-Qaeda members in Afghanistan now is less than a dozen,” wrote the columnist.
As part of the U.S. withdrawal agreement from Kabul, the Taliban promised to prevent al-Qaida from using Afghanistan as a base for foreign operations.
U.S. officials believe they have largely kept that promise.
“The Taliban’s unlikely role as a counterterrorism partner is a matter of self-interest for the mullahs. Part of the bargain for the U.S. withdrawal from Kabul was that the Taliban would stop al-Qaeda from using Afghanistan as a platform for foreign operations. U.S. officials say they have generally lived up to that commitment,” writes Ignatius.
An intelligence report pointed to increased Taliban counterterrorism activity this year, prompting some ISIS leaders to flee Afghanistan.
The Taliban has also succeeded in eliminating several key ISIS -K figures.
While the United States continues to condemn the Taliban’s repressive actions, particularly against women and girls, the common interest in combating certain terrorist groups has led to an uneasy alliance.
Many, including former officer Marc Polymeropoulos of CIA, caution against placing too much trust in the Taliban, especially given their extremist beliefs and past hostilities.
Ignatius concludes that Afghanistan will remain a place of uncertainty, with outcomes that are never truly final.
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