Pentagon Chief: Al-Qaeda Expected to Try and ‘Regenerate’ in Afghanistan

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks to the press, at the Pentagon in Washington, on Aug. 18, 2021. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that al-Qaeda terrorists may attempt to reconstruct itself in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of the country and now that the United States has withdrawn its troops.

“I think the whole community is kind of watching to see what happens and whether or not al Qaeda has the ability to regenerate in Afghanistan,” Austin said in Kuwait City, Kuwait, reported The Associated Press.