Former Defense Secretary and CIA Director Leon Panetta warned Sunday that the withdrawal of military forces from Afghanistan could pave the way for future attacks on the United States if al Qaeda reforms under the new Taliban regime.

Panetta, who served under former President Barack Obama, alluded to a recent interview in which a spokesman for the Taliban denied any evidence that Osama bin Laden was involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.