![Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin: Al Qaeda could regroup in Afghanistan in 2 years](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2020/12/LloydAustin.jpg)
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin: Al Qaeda could regroup in Afghanistan in 2 years
Fox News
An extremist group like Al Qaeda may be able to regenerate in Afghanistan and pose a threat to the U.S. homeland within two years of the American military’s withdrawal from the country, the Pentagon’s top leaders said Thursday.
At a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley whether they rated the likelihood of a regeneration of Al Qaeda or the Islamic State group in Afghanistan as small, medium or large. "I would assess it as medium," Austin replied. "I would also say, senator, that it would take possibly two years for them to develop that capability."More Related News