Former top U.S. general warns ISIS has a ‘strong desire’ to target the United States and a future terrorist plot is ‘inevitable’ because of the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal
- Retired Gen. Frank McKenzie said an ISIS attack on the US is “inevitable.”
- He was one of the military leaders responsible for the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan
- The “threat is growing” as the terrorist group expands around the world, he said
A former top US general who oversaw Biden’s failed military withdrawal from Afghanistan says a future ISIS terrorist attack on Americans is ‘inevitable’.
The chilling possibility of an impending ISIS attack on U.S. soil is heightened due to the disastrous military evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021, retired Gen. Frank McKenzie told ABC News on Sunday.
McKenzie, who headed U.S. Central Command during the withdrawal, said the religious terror group has a “strong desire” to attack America and has a stronger ability to do so since leaving Afghanistan.
“I think the threat is growing,” he said. “It started to grow as soon as we left Afghanistan, it took the pressure off ISIS-K.”
“So I think we should expect further attempts of this nature against the United States and our partners and other countries abroad,” McKenzie continued.
“I think this is inevitable.”
Retired General Frank McKenzie (L) planned the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan just days before the last US troops left the country
McKenzie said on Sunday that the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan has allowed ISIS-K to grow unchecked. The growth of the Islamic terrorist group means that an attack on the US by the group is ‘inevitable’
His comments come after the Islamist terror group took responsibility for a March attack on a Russian music hall that killed more than 140 civilians.
The tragedy was carried out by four militants who had Russian citizenship.
Despite US officials warning their Russian counterparts of an impending attack, the warnings went unheeded and hundreds died.
The group also claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Iran in January that killed 95.
McKenzie said the lack of pressure on ISIS in its home base of Afghanistan means the group has “had the opportunity to attack other countries.”
“Unfortunately, we no longer put that pressure on them, so they are free to gain strength, they are free to plan, they are free to coordinate,” he said.
“So they want to attack not only Russia, but also the United States and other Western countries.”
McKenzie has said he believes the US should have kept a few thousand troops in the country, along with several thousand more from allied NATO countries.
On Friday, March 22, 2024, a massive fire can be seen above the Crocus City Hall on the western outskirts of Moscow, Russia. Several armed men stormed into a major concert hall in Moscow and fired automatic weapons into the crowd, injuring hundreds of people and igniting a major fire. a huge fire
Propaganda photos released by ISIS show armed militants in Afghanistan
He also added that “things would be different” if the US had kept its troops in place and not withdrawn from the country.
“We may be safer than we are,” he said.
He also disagreed with President Joe Biden’s assessment that the US has an “over-the-horizon capability” to “act quickly and decisively” in Afghanistan should military operations be necessary.
“In Afghanistan, we have almost no way to see into that country, and almost no way to invade that country,” he said.