UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace on Friday said he is “absolutely worried" the al Qaeda terrorist group “will probably come back” to Afghanistan after the pullout of United States and British troops there is complete.
“Failed states are breeding grounds for those types of people, of course I'm worried," Wallace said on Sky News.
"It's why I said I felt this was not the right time or decision to make because, of course, al Qaeda will probably come back,” he added.
Wallace's comments come as Taliban forces, which supported al Qaeda before being ousted by the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, move ever closer to taking the capital, Kabul.
Senior Afghan intelligence officials told CNN that al Qaeda could be ready to attack the West by the end of 2022, as the group's presence in Afghanistan is thriving with support from the Taliban.