US CIA Director Warns "US Withdrawal from Afghanistan May Lead to Resurgence of Terror Threat"

Opposition on Biden's Official Announcement of Afghan Withdrawal Day
"Concerns Over Reduced US Threat Intelligence Gathering and Operational Capability"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-woo] William Burns, Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), has sharply criticized President Joe Biden's announcement of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, intensifying controversy within American politics over the issue. Director Burns warned that a complete U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan could degrade the U.S.'s counterterrorism intelligence-gathering capabilities and increase the risk of terrorism. Voices opposing the withdrawal are growing within U.S. political circles, arguing that the democracy built in Afghanistan over 20 years with massive resources and personnel will be destroyed in an instant.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press (AP) on the 14th (local time), Director Burns appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing and criticized the withdrawal policy, stating, "The U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan will pose a significant risk of terrorist resurgence in Afghanistan." Burns pointed out, "If the U.S. military fully withdraws, the ability to collect and respond to terrorist threat information against the United States could be significantly reduced."

Earlier that day, President Biden officially announced the withdrawal from Afghanistan at the White House, declaring, "We will begin withdrawing from Afghanistan starting May 1 and complete the withdrawal before September 11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks." Senior officials in the Biden administration have openly criticized the president's official withdrawal announcement, fueling controversy within U.S. political circles.

According to The New York Times (NYT), the 'Annual Threat Assessment of U.S. Intelligence Agencies' report released the previous day by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) warned that if U.S.-led coalition forces fully withdraw from Afghanistan, the Afghan government will find it difficult to contain the Taliban. Opposition from the Republican Party is also strong. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell criticized the withdrawal the day before, calling it "a serious mistake" and saying, "It is a retreat in front of an enemy that has not yet been fully defeated and a surrender of American leadership."

Voices of dissent have also emerged among Democratic lawmakers. Democratic Senator Jean Shaheen said she was very disappointed, stating, "The United States has paid too high a price to leave without verifiable assurance of a secure future for Afghanistan."

The U.S. has spent an estimated $1 trillion (approximately 1,116 trillion won) in Afghanistan since the 9/11 attacks in 2001, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. When including medical and rehabilitation costs for wounded soldiers, the total is estimated to exceed $2 trillion. It is also known that about 2,300 U.S. soldiers have died in the Afghanistan war.