TIME:
The bleak assessment demonstrates the enduring national security concerns emanating from Afghanistan following two decades of war and the chaotic withdrawal of American forces on Aug. 30. Despite the Biden Administration’s pledges to stay on top of terrorist threats, the U.S. has yet to firm-up a detailed strategy to pursue the remaining operatives inside the country.
Instead, the Biden Administration has unsuccessfully tried for several months to secure nearby bases to position armed drones and counterterrorism forces to quickly move in and out of land-locked Afghanistan when necessary. It’s part of the Administration’s so-called “over-the-horizon” approach, which relies on intelligence gathered largely from airborne surveillance, captured communications chatter and other collected information.
The most prized basing locations are in the neighboring nations of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman visited Uzbekistan earlier this month to meet with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to discuss “the way forward in Afghanistan,” according to the State Department. However, the idea of a U.S. military presence in either former Soviet country has run into stiff opposition from Russia and its allies in local government.