US Ready To Address Possible Threats From Afghanistan, Says Biden

Joe Biden, the United States president, has said that the country’s military personnel are strategically positioned outside Afghanistan to address threats from Afghanistan in the region.

In a letter to the US Congress, Biden said that US forces in the region are ready to respond to "possible threats" from Afghanistan.

He also informed the House of Representatives about the deployment of US forces in the region through the letter.

The first country mentioned in Joe Biden's letter is Afghanistan. “United States military personnel remain postured outside Afghanistan to address threats to the United States homeland and United States interests that may arise from inside Afghanistan,” he said.

The US president has stated that anti-terrorism operations conducted by the United States in Syria and Iraq have weakened the capabilities of ISIS in these countries.

The letter states that it is currently not possible to determine the scope and duration of the deployment of US forces in the region. However, he emphasised that, if necessary, he will take additional measures “to protect the people and interests of the United States”.

Biden also mentioned about the deployment of the US Army in the Arabian Peninsula, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, South Africa, Cuba and the Philippines.

Over two years following the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, concerns persist regarding the activities of terrorist groups in the region.

Several countries, particularly in Central Asia, have consistently warned about the escalation of terrorist group activities in Afghanistan.

US State Department, in its annual report for 2022 which was published this month, said that Afghanistan's neighbours are concerned about possible terrorist threats from Afghanistan.

It also added that despite the Taliban's commitment not to permit Afghanistan's soil to be used against other countries, the group continued to provide shelter to terrorist organisations.

However, Taliban officials claim that Afghanistan is not a security threat to other countries and that the group has suppressed groups such as ISIS.