Keeping an eye on terrorist groups inside Afghanistan without having U.S. forces on the ground has proved to be extremely difficult, says Lt Gen. Michael Kurilla who has been nominated by President Joe Biden to lead the U.S. Central Command. “Over-the-horizon capability is extremely difficult but not impossible,” he told a Senate Armed Services Committee. “I think the biggest challenge for Afghanistan is that as a landlocked country, we rely on another nation… to enter Afghanistan, and the distances required to fly [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions] are great.” The General said he would consider “case-by-case” intelligence sharing with the Taliban if it proved fruitful in targeting ISIS-K. He would also look to rebuild some “human-intelligence capability that was lost during the withdrawal” from Afghanistan. His nomination is expected to be ratified by the Senate.
