WASHINGTON — The United States is working “vigilantly” to prevent the re-emergence of external threats from Afghanistan, Vedant Patel, deputy spokesperson for the Department of State, said on Thursday.
Patel described Daesh Khorasan as a “transnational terrorist network” with both the ambition and capacity to launch international terrorist attacks.
“And as we consistently say, we’re working to ensure that Afghanistan never serves as a launching pad for terrorist attacks against the United States or our allies,” Patel said. “We are taking a whole-of-government approach to our Afghanistan counterterrorism efforts.”
Patel emphasized that the U.S. is cooperating with partners and allies, including those in the immediate region, to address these threats.
This statement comes as the United Nations has repeatedly warned of the presence of Daesh, al-Qaeda, and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan. The Taliban, however, have denied the presence of such groups and asserted that Afghanistan poses no threat to any country.
