Senior U.S. Intelligence Official: We Are in Contact with the Taliban to Prevent Afghanistan from Becoming a Terrorism Base

On Wednesday, the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), David Cohen, announced at a national security conference in Maryland that the CIA is in contact with the Taliban ruling Afghanistan. According to U.S. media reports, Cohen stated that the CIA has maintained its communications with the Taliban and reminded the group of its commitment to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a platform for terrorist attacks abroad. He added, 'We have been in contact with them in various ways while they have been fighting against al-Qaeda and ISIS-K.' The ISIS-K group had previously claimed responsibility for an attack during the government anniversary ceremony of Qassem Soleimani in Kerman on January 3, 2023, which resulted in nearly 100 deaths and less than 300 injuries. In January 2023, Voice of America reported that Washington had given Tehran a 'private warning' that ISIS-K was planning an attack in Kerman, but Iranian officials proceeded with the ceremony. Cohen, referencing warnings from congressional members about Afghanistan becoming a platform for terrorist attacks worldwide after the withdrawal of U.S. forces, claimed that these warnings were 'mistaken.' However, a recent United Nations report published last July stated that foreign governments are increasingly concerned about terrorist threats from Afghanistan, including ISIS-K. The report noted that ISIS-K relies on networks of 'facilitators' in Afghanistan and Turkey that can transfer operatives for foreign operations from Central Asia and Afghanistan to Europe. According to the United Nations, this group has strengthened its financial, logistical, and recruitment efforts and likely prepared fighters and funding for large-scale attacks that occurred in Russia and Iran in January 2023. David Cohen emphasized that while the United States has shifted its national security priorities to focus on China and Russia in recent years, the fight against terrorism remains a mission that U.S. intelligence agencies cannot afford to fail. He further stated that the current landscape of terrorist threats is now more dispersed and somewhat more complex than in the years following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. He also cited the operation that led to the killing of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in 2022 in a safe house in Kabul as an example of U.S. success in combating terrorism. The United Nations: Anti-Taliban attacks in Afghanistan have increased in the past three months. The FBI is concerned about a 'coordinated attack' within U.S. territory. Three other suspects have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the attack on a concert hall in the suburbs of Moscow. Reuters: The Iranian government had warned Russia before the deadly ISIS attack in Moscow. Exclusive: The U.S. had warned the Islamic Republic about the 'terrorist' attack in Kerman.