Retired Gen. Frank McKenzie warned on Sunday that the U.S. has limited intelligence capacity in Afghanistan 21 years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
McKenzie, the former leader of U.S. Central Command, shared the concern during an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation” with host Margaret Brennan.
“I think that we have a very, very limited ability to see into Afghanistan right now,” McKenzie said.
Ret. General Frank McKenzie says the U.S. has a "very, very limited ability" to see into Afghanistan right now, since U.S. troops were withdrawn.
"We've got certainly less than 2 or 3% of the intelligence capability we had before we withdrew." pic.twitter.com/xV6YLkkfzr
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) September 11, 2022
“I’ve said I think we’ve got certainly less than 2 or 3 percent of the intelligence capability that we had before we withdrew,” he added.
McKenzie, who retired in April, said he recommended that President Joe Biden keep 2,500 troops in Afghanistan. However, the general said he was told that such a move would send a bad signal.
The military leader was also asked if he agreed with the Biden administration’s assessment that the Islamic State and al Qaeda are not currently a threat to the U.S. He concluded that the groups could still “regenerate” and cause problems in the future.
Asked if he agrees with the Biden administration's assessment that ISIS and al Qaeda don't presently pose a threat to being able to carry out an attack on U.S. soil, Ret. General Frank McKenzie says he is of the opinion the terrorist groups will be able to "regenerate." pic.twitter.com/7NQsUUrZLU
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) September 11, 2022
“It’s going to take a little time for them to do that, but I think what’s most concerning about the CIA strike that you mentioned is that he was living in very good accommodations in downtown Kabul,” referring to a drone strike that killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri earlier this year.
McKenzie also agreed that the Biden administration’s report of the U.S. military departing Afghanistan should be shared with the American public.
“It’s probably a good thing to release as much of that review as you can,” he said. “I think the American people want to know what happened.”
"It's probably a good thing to release as much of that review as you can," Ret. Gen. Frank McKenzie says on whether a Biden administration report on the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan should be made public.
"I think the American people want to know what happened." pic.twitter.com/V32KhHJH65
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) September 11, 2022
America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan followed a 20-year-long insurgency against a U.S.-led NATO force and the rapid collapse of the U.S.-backed government, which fell almost immediately after the U.S. pulled its troops.
The Biden administration’s handling of the military’s departure has been widely criticized and reportedly left thousands of Americans and allies trapped behind enemy lines.
The final month in Afghanistan included the deaths of 13 U.S. military personnel and more than 100 Afghans in a bombing outside of the Kabul airport that has continued to be a source of criticism against the Biden administration.
In addition, the U.S. airlifted tens of thousands of Afghans from the nation to America. The Daily Wire previously reported that between July 2021 and January 2022, the U.S. welcomed more than 79,000 Afghan evacuees as part of Operation Allies Refuge (OAR)/Operation Allies Welcome (OAW).
A report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) concluded the Biden administration’s DHS “may have admitted or paroled individuals into the United States who pose a risk to national security and the safety of local communities.”
