Security Exchange News

Over the last month, many have expressed concerns that - despite pledges from the Taliban to prevent Afghanistan being used for terrorist activity - a Taliban-run government will inevitably increase the risk of the country becoming a safe haven for Islamist militants to recruit, train, and plot reprisal attacks on the Western forces that occupied the country for 20 years. The cautious consensus amongst the international community is that the Taliban’s desire for recognition as a legitimate government overrides any desire to ‘get back’ at the powerful Western forces that largely withdrew before the Taliban were in a strong enough position to topple the fragile Afghan government. It is widely accepted that if the US were given reason to intervene in Afghanistan again, the Taliban neither have the numbers or the resources to stay in power. Therefore, it is in the group’s interests to honour their promise and contain al-Qaeda and other associated militant groups, such as the Haqqani Network. What we have seen so far, following the fall of Kabul, have been deadly attacks either carried out, or inspired by, Islamic State (IS) – a group the Taliban has been fighting for many years.

Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Fiona wreaked havoc in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, over the past two weeks. In the US, the death toll from Hurricane Ian has now climbed to 125 people, while thousands more were displaced. Strong winds destroyed buildings and infrastructure, most significantly in Fort Myers, Arcadia, Sanibel Island and Peace River, FL. The Hurricane ranked as the 24th deadliest storm in US history and is now proving to be one of the 10 most expensive in terms of recovery. Additionally, five people died in North Carolina as a result of flooding and infrastructure damage. According to reports, some 2.8 million people were left without power after the storm passed; 130,00 remain offline. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden made a trip down to the Floridian peninsula to announce funds for recovery efforts.