Exclusive – Rep. Waltz: Al Qaeda, ISIS-K Didn’t Get Biden’s ‘Memo’ That War on Terrorism Is Over

Terrorists in Afghanistan apparently did not “get the memo” from President Joe Biden that the war against terror is “over,” according to Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), who expressed “serious concerns” the U.S. would be left “blind” in the region when responding to future attacks due to Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In an exclusive statement to Breitbart News on Monday, Waltz, who served as a Special Forces commander in Afghanistan and currently serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, addressed recent reports from a leaked Pentagon assessment that Islamic State terrorists are once again using Afghanistan as a staging ground for plots against America and other countries.

“The terrorists didn’t get the memo from Joe Biden that the war is over and we are now hearing openly from DOD [Department of Defense] officials that the threat against the West is very real,” Waltz stated.

He also noted that the international jihadist terror organization al-Qaeda and the Islamic State’s Afghanistan wing ISIS-K “are reconstituting and are coordinating across multiple countries to plot future attacks.” 

“I have serious concerns that we lack the assets and bases in the region due to Biden’s withdrawal that could leave us blind in responding to future attacks,” he concluded.

The matter comes amid unprecedented foreign policy failures by the Biden administration and follows reports that American taxpayer money may be going to the Taliban.

Last week, in the wake of testimony from Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction John Sopko that he cannot guarantee taxpayer funds aren’t going to the Taliban, Waltz stated that Congress needs to look at the State Department’s budget and zero out funding for Afghanistan until there is greater certification of where the money is going.

Waltz said, “I think, at this point, we have to go after the State Department’s budget. I’m talking to appropriators about it. We have to zero this funding out until we can certify it’s going to the right people, and even then, I don’t know if that’s even possible.”

FLASHBACK: Waltz: Since Kabul Bombing, We’ve Killed More Civilians than ISIS-K Members:

Waltz also accused the State Department of stonewalling on Afghanistan, saying that “all we’re asking for is a dissent cable and a few other documents.”

“Diplomats in Kabul in July of 2021, said the government is falling, this thing is coming unraveled. Yet the State Department won’t let us see it. … So, we need transparency. And my question is, what do they have to hide? The president and everyone else in his administration has said this was an outstanding success,” he said.

This weekend, the Washington Post claimed documents allegedly procured from a trove of Department of Defense leaks suggesting ISIS-K has strengthened markedly under Taliban rule and is consistently plotting attacks around the world.

Earlier this month, FBI agents arrested 21-year-old Massachusetts resident Jack Douglas Teixeira, who is accused of leaking over a hundred purportedly classified documents, many of them pertaining to the Ukraine war.

According to reports, he frequently presented these documents as evidence that every government involved in the conflict is lying to its citizens about the progress of the war. 

He also allegedly posted materials related to other news stories, including foreign interference in U.S. elections, U.S. interference in foreign governments, and how intelligence officials were aware of as many as four other Chinese spy balloons aside from the one reported earlier this year.