Afghanistan

Today marks three years since the fall of Kabul and three years since the return of the Taliban. Despite repeated assurances that Afghanistan would not again become a safe haven for terrorists, extremist groups such as al-Qaeda, the Pakistani Taliban and ISIS-K have all made Afghanistan their backyard. Acts of terror have again become more problematic. All of these terrorists remain a threat to Afghans, with terror attacks in the country going up 60 per cent since the fall of Kabul. Not content with wreaking havoc on Afghanistan and her people, disturbingly ISIS have extended their attention again to the international stage, with an increase of terror across the globe.

There is no boundary of human decency this group will not cross. ISIS planned an attack on a recent Taylor Swift concert in Austria which was intended to execute tens of thousands of young people. The Taliban's refusal to curtail violent extremism in Afghanistan means that Australia must be ready for a potential attack from these groups. Al-Qaeda, ISIS-K and the Pakistani Taliban, which have all found a new life in Afghanistan, have re-formed with the implicit blessing of the Taliban regime. With the ASIO boss recently raising the terror threat level to probable, now more than ever Australia must remain vigilant for looming, new terror threats.