FBI director fears Afghanistan WILL again become a safe haven for terror groups

The director of the FBI has voiced concerns that Afghanistan could become a safe-haven for terrorist organisations to launch operations from following the Taliban’s takeover.

Christopher Wray, 54, was speaking at a House Homeland Security Committee briefing yesterday when he revealed the concerns.

The final flight bringing US citizens and their allies out of Afghanistan left Kabul airport on August 30.

However, during the mass evacuations, which started on August 14, terror group ISIS-K – a splinter organisation from IS – left 13 Americans dead in a suicide attack.

Christopher Wray, 54, (pictured) was speaking at a House Homeland Security Committee briefing yesterday when he voiced concerns that Afghanistan could become a safe-haven for terrorist organisations to launch operations from following the Taliban’s takeover

And now, Wray has raised the possibility that reduced security in the country since the Taliban’s takeover may provide the opportunity for other terror groups to use it as a base, according to Fox News.

Speaking at the hearing, he said: ‘We are, of course, concerned that there will be an opportunity for a safe haven to be re-created there, which is certainly something we’ve seen in the past, and allow a foreign terrorist organization to operate more freely in the region.’

Wray also said that American security services are concerned that ISIS-K may take the opportunity that instability in Afghanistan provides, to operate more freely.

He also voiced concerns that the events the unfolded in the country could act as a catalyst for other terrorists. 

The final flight bringing US citizens and their allies out of Afghanistan left Kabul airport on August 30. However, during the mass evacuations, which started on August 14, terror group ISIS-K - a splinter organisation from IS - left 13 Americans dead in a suicide attack. Pictured: Smoke rises after the two explosions outside Kabul airport

The final flight bringing US citizens and their allies out of Afghanistan left Kabul airport on August 30. However, during the mass evacuations, which started on August 14, terror group ISIS-K – a splinter organisation from IS – left 13 Americans dead in a suicide attack. Pictured: Smoke rises after the two explosions outside Kabul airport

‘Most importantly, we’re concerned that foreign terrorist organizations will have an opportunity to re-constitute, to plot, conspire in a space that’s much harder for us to collect intelligence and operate against than was the case previously,’ he added. 

It comes after the Taliban has asked to speak to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.

The terror group nominated Suhail Shaheen, their spokesman based in Doha, as Afghanistan’s new ambassador to the UN.

The Islamists said the envoy for the former government no longer represented Afghanistan.

Pictured: A Taliban fighter stands guard on August 27 at the site of two explosions outside Kabul airport

Pictured: A Taliban fighter stands guard on August 27 at the site of two explosions outside Kabul airport

A UN committee will rule on the request but it is unlikely to take place during the current session, which ends on Monday.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres received a communication on September 15 from the currently accredited Afghan Ambassador, Ghulam Isaczai, with the list of Afghanistan’s delegation for the assembly’s 76th annual session.

Five days later, Guterres received another communication with the letterhead ‘Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,’ signed by ‘Ameer Khan Muttaqi’ as ‘Minister of Foreign Affairs,’ requesting to participate in the gathering of world leaders.

Muttaqi said in the letter that former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani was ‘ousted’ as of August 15 and that countries across the world ‘no longer recognise him as president,’ and therefore Isaczai no longer represents Afghanistan, Dujarric said. 

The terror group nominated Suhail Shaheen (pictured), their spokesman based in Doha, as Afghanistan's new ambassador to the UN

The terror group nominated Suhail Shaheen (pictured), their spokesman based in Doha, as Afghanistan’s new ambassador to the UN 

Senior US State Department officials said they were aware of the Taliban’s request – the United States is a member of the UN credentials committee – but they would not predict how that panel might rule. 

But one of the officials said the committee ‘would take some time to deliberate,’ suggesting the Taliban’s envoy would not be able to speak at the General Assembly at this session at least during the high-level leaders’ week.

In cases of disputes over seats at the United Nations, the General Assembly’s nine-member credentials committee must meet to make a decision. 

Both letters have been sent to the committee after consultations with General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid’s office. 

The committee’s members are the United States, Russia, China, Bahama, Bhutan, Chile, Namibia, Sierra Leone and Sweden.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk