Washington, Sep 14 (AP) American intelligence officials say al-Qaeda could begin to threaten the homeland from Afghanistan within one to two years, echoing warnings that were issued prior to the U.S. withdrawal ending its 20-year war.

Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, who leads the Defence Intelligence Agency, gave that estimated timeframe Tuesday while speaking at the Intelligence & National Security Summit.

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David Cohen, deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, said the U.S. already had detected “some of the indications of some potential movement of al-Qaeda to Afghanistan.”

Experts have long said the Taliban still maintains ties to al-Qaeda, which took sanctuary in Afghanistan prior to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

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Counterterrorism experts estimated prior to the withdrawal that al-Qaeda had several hundred fighters in Afghanistan. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)