There was no doubt that the Biden administration's gross mishandling of the retreat from Kabul would embolden terrorists around the world. It's happening. As reported by Issues & Insights, the Heritage Foundation's James Carafano warned, "the Taliban's roughing-up of Biden be the clarion call for transnational terrorism worldwide to get back in the game and go after the West. Small wonder that our European allies are outraged." But why would anyone expect anything different? President Obama's ham-fisted approach to the Middle East gave rise to ISIS, and then-Vice President Biden gave full and approving support.
The resurgence of al-Qaeda and ISIS and a reign of terror may be just beginning. Vera Bergengruen writing for Time said:
“The U.S. has left Afghanistan in the hands of the same Taliban militants it overthrew two decades ago after the group provided safe haven to the al-Qaeda operatives who plotted the 9/11 attacks. Its leaders still maintain close ties to al-Qaeda, and the nascent government being patched together in Kabul is unlikely to be able to contain the resurgence of competing terrorist groups in the region, including the Islamic State in Khorasan Province.”
The May 27, 2020, U.N. report to which Bergengruen refers said very clearly: "The senior leadership of Al-Qaida [UN spelling of al-Qaeda] remains present in Afghanistan, as well as hundreds of armed operatives, Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, and groups of foreign terrorists aligned with the Taliban." When discussing the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan (ISIL-K) or ISIS-K, the prescience of the report has become painfully obvious.
The assessment explains: "The Monitoring Team now estimates that ISIL-K numbers are as low as 2,200 in Afghanistan. It remains capable of mounting attacks in various parts of the country, including Kabul …"
In a Fox News report, Emma Colton explains a terrorist in the United States inspired by the ineptitude of the Biden administration and subsequent failures in Afghanistan may have struck closer to home in Dallas, Texas. Colton wrote:
"The FBI is investigating whether a Texas man accused of fatally shooting a female Lyft driver and then opening fire in a police station was inspired by foreign terrorists. Imran Ali Rasheed, 33, left a letter indicating he ‘may have been inspired by a foreign terrorist organization,’ said Matthew DeSarno, special agent in charge of the FBI's Dallas office. ‘At this point, we do not believe that the suspect, Imran Ali Rasheed, was provided assistance by others or that others were involved in these incidents. However, it is our top investigative priority to fully determine the extent of his relationships and contacts,’ the FBI's Dallas office tweeted Monday."
(MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)
Colton went on to say that Rasheed had been the subject of "a previous counterterrorism investigation from 2010 to 2013," but that the case was closed with investigators determining that he was not a threat. Consequently, he wasn't inspired to commit a terrorist act until now. Suppose this attack on Isabella Lewis – an unarmed American just doing her job – is a specter of the consequences to come of the Biden administration emboldening of terrorist organizations overseas. In that case, the U.S. is in for a rough ride.
Warning of a resurgence of worldwide terrorism, The Economist reported on the euphoric celebrations in the Middle East resulting from the Taliban touting their victory over the U.S. in Afghanistan. The headline should be worrisome for the West – "After Afghanistan, where next for global jihad?" Quoting from the article, "In Yemen, they set off fireworks; in Somalia, they handed out sweets; in Syria, they praised the Taliban for providing a 'living example' of how to 'bring down a criminal regime' through jihad. Around the world, jihadists were elated by the fall of Kabul." Looking at what is potentially to come, in a companion piece, The Economist reported:
"When a new American president takes office, the leaders of other countries compete to be the first to speak to him. When the Taliban took over Kabul, there was a similar rush to speak to Abdul Ghani Baradar, the public face of the Afghan militant group's leadership. The winner was Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, the Islamist group which controls the Gaza Strip."
Hamas lost no time in posting the results of the call on its website, telling the jihadist world that Haniyeh congratulated Baradar for a victory over the "American occupation" of Afghanistan. Furthermore, such a win would be a "prelude to the demise of all occupation forces, foremost of which is the Israeli occupation of Palestine."
As Liberty Nation explained, Hamas would be among the first to exploit the Biden debacle at the Kabul airport and the ill-conceived retreat from Afghanistan. As a result, Hamas would be bolstered, and Israel would be the victim.
The consequences of the Biden national security team's bungling in Afghanistan have global impacts that cannot be overstated. For example, as reported by Issues & Insights, "Switzerland's Federal Intelligence Service is now warning about potential terrorist attacks on coronavirus vaccination centers, transport, and manufacturing facilities." With the Biden border a "wide-open" highway for terrorists, U.S. Homeland Defense and other federal agencies have gone on "high alert" to thwart terrorist threats. The danger is from unvetted Afghan citizens that Biden's "frenzied" haste to leave Kabul may have allowed into America.
Suppose the death of Isabella Lewis at the hands of a crazed jihadist is the beginning of homeland enforcement will be the first line of defense. If the Department of Justice is thinking straight, then the support of municipal police departments must be a priority.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliation.
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