ISIS could build capacity to attack US in 6 months, warns Pentagon official!

Washington: The US intelligence community believes terror groups based in Afghanistan continue to pose threat to the US. The US intelligence community believes terror groups based in Afghanistan continue to pose threat to the US. 

The US intelligence community has warned that the Islamic State in Afghanistan could develop the capability to attack the United States in six months, and it has the intention to do so, a Pentagon official told Congress on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

According to CNN, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl, speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, said while the ISIS-K does not yet possess the capability to attack the US, it will develop the ability in the next six to 12 months. Kahl said the al Qaeda will develop the ability in a year or two.

Kahl's comments suggested the fastest timeline so far by anyone in the US government in terms of how quickly can an Afghanistan-based terror outfit hurt America.

According to CNN, joint chiefs chairman general Mark Milley said the terror threat from Afghanistan is lower than it was on September 11, 2001. But, ISIS-K or al-Qaeda could regroup within a relatively short period of time.

An ISIS-K suicide bombing in Kabul killed 13 US servicemen in August during the Unites States' evacuation from Afghanistan. The Taliban had captured power in the country hastening US evacuation from the country.

The Taliban, which considers the ISIS-K an enemy, has been struggling to impose law and order in the country due to suicide bombings by ISIS since the Taliban formed the government in Afghanistan.

While the bombings have primarily targeted the minority Shi'ite sect, the Islamic State was also involved in the beheading of a member of a Taliban militia force in the eastern city of Jalalabad.

Kahl also said it was unclear whether the Taliban has the capacity to withstand ISIS.

"It is our assessment that the Taliban and ISIS-K are mortal enemies. So the Taliban is highly motivated to go after ISIS-K. Their ability to do so, I think, is to be determined," Kahl was quoted by Reuters as saying.

He said the goal was to disrupt ISIS and al Qaeda from becoming capable of attacking the United States.