US Must Go and Take Out Al-Qaeda, ISIS in Afghanistan if they Take Root: US Top Spy Nominee

Tulsi Gabbard condemns the execution of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan by former administration.

Fri Jan 31 2025
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Key Points

  • Gabbard says the US must continue to monitor Afghanistan
  • Top Spy Nominee says Al-Qaeda, ISIS increasing strength in East and West Africa
  • She claims Al-Qaeda has training camps in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard has stated that the US must take action to eliminate Al-Qaeda and ISIS in Afghanistan if they start to take root in the country.

While expressing her views in a Fox News programme, Gabbard said in both East and West Africa there is a surge of Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and affiliated terrorists.

She condemned the execution of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan by the then administration terming it a complete disaster. “We should continue to monitor Afghanistan to make sure there are no Al-Qaeda and ISSI strongholds that are allowed to start to take out roots,” she warned.

Tulsi Gabbard noted that nobody should be under the illusion that this problem is only limited to Afghanistan and the proof of that is Al-Qaeda for a very long time has been able to get refuge and have training camps in Afghanistan. “So, this is a known fact and reality and that needs to be addressed,” she said.

Tulsi Gabbard faces tough questions at Senate hearing

Earlier, Tulsi Gabbard, faced tough questions at a Senate hearing about her positions on Syria, Russia and her defence of Edward Snowden, the former analyst who leaked classified information in 2013, EFE news agency reported.

Gabbard, a former Democratic House representative from Hawaii who has aligned herself with Donald Trump, has raised concerns among members of both the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as within the national security community.

US Must Go and Take Out Al Qaeda ISIS in Afghanistan if they Take Root US Top Spy Nominee 1
Tulsi Gabbard (L)/Kash Patel (R) —Photo by AFP

She has generated controversy for her past remarks about Vladimir Putin’s “legitimate security concerns” in Ukraine, a 2017 independent visit to Damascus where she met with Bashar al-Assad, and her support for Edward Snowden.

“I have no love for Assad or Gaddafi or any dictator. I just hate al-Qaeda. I hate that we have leaders who cozy up to extremists,” Gabbard said during the hearing.

However, Mark Warner, the committee’s top vice chairman, said he didn’t find her “change of heart credible,” referring to Gabbard’s toned-down remarks on Syria and Russia on Thursday.

The hearing grew tense, reaching its peak when Democratic Senator Michael Bennet pressed Gabbard to directly answer whether she considered Edward Snowden a traitor, a question she refused to address.

During her tenure as a congresswoman from Hawaii (2013-2021), Gabbard introduced a bill that would have dropped charges against Snowden, who leaked thousands of National Security Agency documents and sought asylum in Russia, where he currently resides. Gabbard had once been a prominent figure within the Democratic Party, even running in the 2020 presidential primary against Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

She left the party in 2022 to become an independent and joined the Republican Party in 2024 after endorsing Trump.

After Thursday’s hearing, the Senate Intelligence Committee will vote on her nomination. If approved, it will go to the full Senate, where Republicans hold a majority.

If she wins, Gabbard will become director of national intelligence, a cabinet-level post created after the 9/11 attacks to coordinate the work of the 18 US intelligence agencies, including the CIA, NSA, and FBI intelligence divisions.

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