The CIA's Counter-Terrorism Strategy is a Disaster

The Taliban is Not a CT Partner

In late August 2024, David Cohen, the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), decided to say this in a public setting.

Cohen cited the U.S. operation that killed Al Qaeda's chief, Ayman Zawahiri, in a safe house in Kabul in 2022 as an example of a counterterrorism success.

He also said that the CIA has kept in communication with the Taliban, which now rules Afghanistan, reminding the group of its commitment to ensure the country does not again become a staging ground for terrorist attacks abroad.

“We have been engaging with them, throughout this period, in various ways, as they have taken on the effort to combat both Al Qaeda and ISIS-K,” Cohen said.

Here you go.