U.S. and Allies Plan Fight From Afar Against Al Qaeda Once Troops Exit Afghanistan Drones, long-range bombers and spy networks will be used in an effort to prevent Afghanistan from re-emerging as a terrorist base to threaten the United States. Traffic last month in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. American intelligence analysts say security in the country could worsen almost immediately.Credit...Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times April 15, 2021Updated 8:23 a.m. ET WASHINGTON — American troops are set to leave Afghanistan no later than Sept. 11, but the Pentagon, American 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.