Former UK PM Blair warns West should prepare for bio-terrorism threat

FILE PHOTO: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair speaks at the Hallam Conference Centre in London, Britain December 18, 2019. REUTERS/Toby Melville

LONDON (Reuters) - Islamism remains a "first order" security threat and the West should prepare for potential use of biological weapons by extremist groups, former British prime minister Tony Blair said on Monday.

The Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan last month as the United States withdrew its troops after a 20-year war, and Britain fears the group's return and the vacuum left by the West's chaotic withdrawal will allow militants from al Qaeda and Islamic State to gain a foothold there.