U.S., allies to fight al-Qaida from afar

WASHINGTON — U.S. troops are set to leave Afghanistan no later than Sept. 11, but the Pentagon, U.S. spy agencies and Western allies are refining plans to deploy a less visible but still potent force in the region to prevent the country from again becoming a terrorist base.

Drawing on the hard lessons from President Barack Obama’s decision a decade ago to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq — allowing the rise of the Islamic State three years later — the Pentagon is discussing with allies where to reposition forces, possibly to neighboring countries, according to U.S. officials.

Attack planes aboard aircraft carriers and long-range bombers flying from land bases along the Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean and even in the United States could strike insurgent fighters spotted by armed surveillance drones. But there are risks. Afghan commandos who have been providing the bulk of intelligence on insurgent threats could disintegrate after U.S. troops withdraw, leaving a large hole to fill.

Turkey, which has long had a direct relationship with Afghanistan in addition to its role in the NATO mission there, is leaving troops behind who could help the CIA collect intelligence on al-Qaida cells, officials note.

Still, planners at the military’s Central Command in Tampa, Fla., and Joint Staff in Washington have been developing options to offset the loss of U.S. combat boots on the ground, and President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that the revised approach would keep al-Qaida at bay.