Ex-Marine Warns of Dangerous Relationship between Taliban and al-Qaeda

(AmericanProsperity.com) – Former Commander of the United States Central Command, General Frank McKenzie, said on September 10 that the Taliban’s relationship with terrorist group Al-Qaeda is “stronger” than with Washington. During an interview with CBS’ “Meet the Press,” McKenzie said this is a “dangerous situation” that could affect not only Afghanistan but also the Middle East.

The former US marine was shown a video of President Joe Biden, where he responded to some of the failures of the US withdrawal from the Middle Eastern country in June. In the clip, the commander-in-chief was telling reporters that despite what everyone says, he was right in claiming that one of the main goals was to prevent Al-Qaeda from “being there.” He also said he was right in getting help from the Taliban to make this happen.

When asked about the president’s description of the White House working with the Taliban, McKenzie told host Chuck Todd they “weren’t to be trusted,” even when they could deliver some “temporary accommodation” after the withdrawal. The general then said this is because the Taliban have a long-term customary and “familial” relationship with the terrorist group, and noted it’s difficult to think this could change in the short term. He also noted that every intelligence report he has read up until April 2022 led him to conclude that the Taliban would exclusively act in the light of their interests.

McKenzie formally retired from active duty that month, following the United States’ withdrawal from the Middle Eastern nation. The former marine has said in different interviews he advised President Biden to maintain the 2,500 US military personnel in Afghanistan. However, the commander-in-chief decided to execute a complete withdrawal in August 2021. Almost every analyst has described this action as a chaotic evacuation, to the point where political figures on both sides of the aisle criticized the Biden administration because of the way it handled this situation. Many media outlets even described this withdrawal as the modern version of the Fall of Saigon.