KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A senior Afghan politician and a well-placed public figure say CIA Director William Burns made a recent unannounced visit to the Afghan capital of Kabul. The trip by Burns came as concerns mount about Afghanistan’s capability to fight terrorism once the U.S. has withdrawn its remaining troops by summer. Separately, a senior former Afghan security official says two of six counterterrorism units trained and run by the CIA have already been transferred to Afghan control. U.S. officials have cautioned that the Afghanistan pullout poses some security risks by diminishing intelligence gathering. But they say the extremist groups al-Qaida and Islamic State have been significantly weakened in recent years.
