ISIS Could Target Western Interests In Near Future, Says US CENTCOM Commander

General Michael Kurilla, the commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that in the next six months, ISIS in Afghanistan could target US and other Western countries’ interests. He added that ISIS' ability to conduct operations in Asia and Europe is expanding rapidly.

According to the assessment of the US General who addressed the US senate on Thursday, ISIS will not be able to carry out terrorist attacks on American soil in the near future. However, he said that hundreds of American citizens abroad are vulnerable to attacks by the group.

American civil and military officials said after leaving Afghanistan that the United States has the ability to conduct over the horizon operations in Afghanistan.

However, General Kurilla warned about the widening presence of ISIS in Afghanistan and admitted that after the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, the US forces have rarely conducted operations against terrorists in Afghanistan.

In the US Senate Armed Forces Committee, the US General admitted that the intelligence capability of Washington in Afghanistan has decreased drastically after the withdrawal of the country’s troops in August 2021. However, he expressed hope that by investing in increasing the power of high-altitude surveillance technologies, such as drones that can monitor areas for days and weeks, this intelligence gap can be filled.

"Right now, 80 percent of my time is spent on gathering information from high altitudes in the region," he said.