CIA searches for new bases of operations in Afghanistan after US troop withdrawal

The New York Times said that the CIA is rushing to come up with a new approach in dealing with Afghanistan, as the rapid withdrawal of US forces made the agency look for ways to maintain intelligence sharing, combat and counter-terrorism operations in the country.

 The newspaper reported that the CIA, which has been at the heart of the American presence in Afghanistan for 20 years, will soon lose bases in the heart of the country, where the agency conducted combat missions and drone strikes, while keeping a close eye on the Taliban and other movements such as al-Qaeda and ISIS. Agency analysts warn of an unprecedentedly heightened risk of a Taliban takeover of the country.

US officials are making recent attempts to secure bases near Afghanistan for future operations, but the complexity of the ongoing conflict has led to diplomatic negotiations with the military seeking to remove all troops early by mid-July, before the deadline set by US President Joe Biden on September 11, according to what US officials and regional experts said.

 Pakistan was one of the focus points, according to the newspaper. The CIA had used a base there for years to launch drone attacks against militants in the country's western mountains, but it was pushed out of the facility in 2011 when relations between the United States and Pakistan soured.

And the newspaper pointed out that any agreement reached now, likes to circumvent the uncomfortable reality that the government of Pakistan has long supported the Taliban. In discussions between US and Pakistani officials, the Pakistanis demanded a set of restrictions in exchange for using the base in their country, and demanded that they be informed of any targets the CIA or the US military wants to strike inside Afghanistan, three US officials familiar with the discussions said.

 The diplomats are also looking at the option of regaining access to bases in the former Soviet republics used in the Afghanistan war, although they expect Russian President Vladimir Putin to strongly oppose it.