Pompeo: Less than several hundred al-Qaeda terrorists in Afghanistan

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday there were less than several hundred al Qaeda militants left in Afghanistan.

“There are less than several hundred al-Qaida left in Afghanistan today,” Pompeo said in an interview with KMCO radio channel.

He said that the primary mission the US went into Afghanistan for was the defeat of al Qaeda, “we know that that has happened.”

Pompeo said that the US can protect itself “without having tens and tens of thousands of soldiers stationed” in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

He said that the US had told the Taliban to break with al Qaeda.

“We think we can get this piece right, this counterterrorism piece right,” he said.

He warned that threats remain. “Make no mistake, there are still people who want to do harm to the United States of America.”

“It’s not about some statement, it’s not about some agreement. It’s about actual actions on the ground that deliver us the confidence that we have the right force posture to keep America safe,” Pompeo said.

The US signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February, which includes troop withdrawal and counter-terrorism assurances.

Source: 1 TV News