Afghanistan not at the top of U.S. terror threat list, national intelligence director says
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Amid growing concern that the Taliban's governance will once again turn Afghanistan into a safe haven for terrorist groups, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said Monday that terrorist threats emanating from several other countries pose a bigger risk to the United States.
The intelligence community is, for now, prioritizing what's happening on the ground in Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, and Syria, Haines said during a virtual appearance at the Intelligence and National Security Summit in Washington. D.C. "That's where we see the greatest threat," she added, explaining that Afghanistan is further down the list.
Of course, the Taliban have only been in control of the country for a few weeks, so the situation will likely remain fluid, although the Biden administration is hoping the group stays true to promises that it won't allow an al Qaeda resurgance in Afghanistan. Many analysts remain doubtful that will be the case.
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
