Pentagon Warns of Worsening Terrorist Threat After Taliban Takes Over Afghanistan

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a press conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on July 21, 2021. Ken Cedeno/Reuters

The U.S. Department of Defense is now evaluating Afghanistan for the “reconstruction of terrorist networks” after the Taliban captured Kabul and declared victory over the weekend, said a spokesman.

Before the Taliban was toppled in the early 2000s by U.S. forces, the group was accused of harboring terrorist organizations including al-Qaeda and, later, the Haqqani network.