The Pentagon on Friday said “we know Al Qaeda is still in Afghanistan” about few minutes after US President Joe Biden said “Al Qaeda is gone from Afghanistan.”
“Let’s put this into perspective here,” Biden said during his speech on Afghanistan Friday. “What interest do we have in Afghanistan at this point with al Qaeda gone?”
.@POTUS – "What interest do we have in #Afghanistan at this point with Al Qaeda gone.” A DoD IG report from Aug 17, 2021 says "the Taliban continued to maintain its relationship with al-Qaeda, providing safe haven for the terrorist group in Afghanistan." https://t.co/gdXiO8E13l pic.twitter.com/RytywJAqk0
— James LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) August 20, 2021
“We know that al-Qaeda is a presence, as well as ISIS in Afghanistan. We do not believe it is exorbitantly high, but we don’t have an exact figure for you. It’s not like they carry identification cards and register somewhere. We don’t have a perfect picture,” Pentagon spokesperson said on Friday.