Osama bin Laden sits with his adviser Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri during an interview with Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir. Hamid Mir took this picture during his third and last interview with Osama bin Laden in November 2001 in Kabul. Dr. Ayman al-Zawahri was present in this interview and acted as the translator of Osama bin Laden.
David Roza, Task & Purpose: Will leaving Afghanistan cause another 9/11? Former soldiers and diplomats say no, not necessarily
As the war in Afghanistan drags on, and as President Donald Trump reportedly approves a tentative peace deal with the Taliban, several experts addressed a national security question that has dogged policy makers for years: if the 13,000 American troops still in Afghanistan were to leave, would the country become a launching pad for a second terrorist attack on the scale of September 11, 2001?
That question was brought up at a Senate hearing on Tuesday, where former officials from the U.S. military and State Department agreed that a large military presence in Afghanistan would not be necessary to ensure a second plot against the U.S. on the scale of 9/11 does not unfold. Instead, the officials said the U.S. could rely on diplomacy and its current mix of worldwide counter-terrorism assets to defeat any emerging threats to the homeland.
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WNU Editor: The Taliban and Al Qaeda are still allies. Some Al Qaeda leaders who were involved in 9/11 are still active today, including current Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Taliban control large sections of Afghanistan, and will probably gain more if the US leaves. I am sure that Al Qaeda would take advantage of such a situation, and establish in these Taliban controlled regions bases of operations. Is Al Qaeda still focused on attacking America? They have been saying for years that this is one of their goals, and I believe them. So will leaving Afghanistan cause another 9/11? All that I know is that the Al Qaeda leadership have wanted another 9/11 since 9/11, and if the Taliban do succeed in controlling Afghanistan they will then be one step closer in accomplishing just that.
