The risk of weapons proliferation in Afghanistan is very worrying: Saudi Prince Turki

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – The former chief of intelligence in Saudi Arabia said he is very worried that US weapons may fall into the hands of radical groups such as al-Qaeda, and support the deadly enemies of the United States after he withdraws from Afghanistan. Said it was mismanagement.

“I don’t know which word to use, whether it’s incompetence, carelessness or mismanagement-it’s a combination of these things,” Prince Turki Faisal told CNBC’s Hadley Gamble in Paris on Saturday.

Prince Turki Al-Faisal served as the head of Saudi intelligence from 1979 to 2001, helping to coordinate anti-communist activities in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion. Later, he tried to get Osama bin Laden back to Saudi Arabia for negotiations in the years before 9/11, but failed.

“You know that Al Qaeda first targeted this kingdom before anyone else,” Faisal said, referring to Saudi Arabia. “This is very worrying. Now that with this weapon, Al Qaeda, an ally of the Taliban, may get their hands, which will be even more worrying,” he added.

Taliban troops were photographed using a series of U.S.-made Weapons and vehicles The weapons seized from the Afghan military have raised Saudi Arabia’s persistent threats to ISIS and Al-Qaida, as well as concerns about where and to whom the equipment might ultimately belong.

“When Mr. Trump reaches an agreement with the Taliban before leaving office, the government will inevitably lose its legitimacy,” Faisal said. “It is difficult to know what prompted the United States to negotiate with them,” he added.

These comments are the first public criticism of U.S. Gulf Arab allies since the fall of Kabul on August 15.

On Saturday, President Joe Biden warned that Kabul Airport was “very likely” to be attacked again.The president also vowed to release another Retaliatory strike Fight the terrorists responsible for Thursday’s incident Suicide bombing That kills 13 U.S. service personnel And more than 110 Afghans.

ISIS-K, known as the Islamic State Khorasan, Claimed responsibility for the attack. ISIS-K and the Islamic State once formed an alliance with Al Qaeda, which was previously led by Osama bin Laden, who planned the September 11 attacks and other major attacks in recent decades.

The increasingly complex threats from ISIS-K and other organizations present a major challenge for the US and Western military to evacuate remaining military personnel and Afghan allies from Afghanistan before the August 31 withdrawal deadline.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg made it clear that it hopes the Taliban will honor its “promise” that Afghanistan will not become a safe haven for terrorists. Tell CNBC In a recent interview, it was unclear whether the Taliban had the ability to control possible infections, or whether the recent attacks in Kabul would encourage individuals or terrorist organizations in the wider area.

Prince Turki said that Saudi Arabia’s regional rivals Iran and Pakistan, and foreign powers that are in strategic competition with the United States, such as China and Russia, will have a major impact on Afghanistan and the terrorist organizations that are connected in Afghanistan after the United States withdraws.

“We saw the Russian, Chinese, Iranian and Pakistani ambassadors not only staying in Kabul, but also issuing statements on future relations with the Taliban,” he said.

“Something is happening between the Taliban and these countries about where they are going in the future,” he said.

China is one of the first countries to express Willing to participate The Taliban cooperated with the Taliban when they came to power in Afghanistan, trying to start where the United States stopped.

Despite this, although global confidence in the leadership of the United States may have been shaken, Al Faisal said that this incident does not necessarily mean the end of the United States’ global hegemony: “I think it’s still time to judge whether the United States is in a watershed. Too early,” he said. Said.