KABUL: The Taleban stated Thursday they have got no wisdom of Ayman Al-Zawahiri’s presence in Afghanistan, days after US President Joe Biden introduced the Al-Qaeda leader have been killed by way of a drone strike in Kabul. A moderately phrased Taleban remark neither showed Zawahiri’s presence in Afghanistan nor stated his demise, however carried the primary authentic point out of his identify since Sunday’s strike.
Zawahiri’s assassination is the largest blow to Al-Qaeda since US particular forces killed Osama bin Encumbered in 2011, and calls into query the Taleban’s promise to not harbor militant teams. America led an invasion in 2001 that toppled the primary Taleban executive, after the hardline Islamist crew refused at hand over bin Encumbered following the 9/11 assaults. “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has no details about Ayman Al-Zawahiri’s arrival and keep,” Thursday’s Taleban remark stated.
“The management of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has advised the intelligence companies to carry a complete and critical investigation.” Taleban officers had up to now conceded {that a} US drone strike had taken position in an upmarket Kabul suburb, however gave no main points of any casualties. Washington stated previous this week that Zawahiri’s presence used to be a transparent violation of the Doha settlement signed in 2020 that prepared the ground for the withdrawal of overseas forces from Afghanistan a 12 months in the past.
Accord breached
The Taleban, in flip, stated Washington had breached the accord. “The truth that The us invaded our territory and violated all global rules, we strongly condemn the motion as soon as once more,” the remark stated. “If such motion is repeated, the accountability of any penalties might be on america of The us.” The Taleban stated of their remark that there used to be “no danger” to any nation from Afghanistan’s soil. In saying Zawahiri’s demise, Biden declared “justice have been delivered” to the households of sufferers of the 9/11 assaults on america.
US officers stated Zawahiri used to be at the balcony of a three-storey area within the Afghan capital when centered with two Hellfire missiles early on Sunday. The drone assault used to be the primary recognized over-the-horizon strike by way of the USA on a goal in Afghanistan since Washington withdrew its forces from the rustic on August 31 remaining 12 months, days after the Taleban swept again to energy. The home centered within the strike used to be in Sherpur, one in every of Kabul’s maximum prosperous neighborhoods, with a number of villas occupied by way of high-ranking Taleban officers and commanders.
Zawahiri took over Al-Qaeda after bin Encumbered used to be killed, and had a $25 million US bounty on his head. Information of his demise comes a month sooner than the primary anniversary of the overall withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and the go back to energy of the Taleban. No nation has but identified the brand new executive, which has slowly reintroduced a harsh interpretation of Islamic legislation that characterised the Taleban’s first stint in energy.
Whilst the insurgency has ended, the rustic has been plunged into financial turmoil, with Afghanistan’s belongings in a foreign country frozen, help curtailed, and sanctions on key Taleban leaders. “Even though the Taleban face no new sanctions, lifting the present ones might be tougher after Zawahiri’s discovery and killing in downtown Kabul,” stated Nishank Motwani, fellow at Harvard College’s Kennedy Faculty. “Because of Zawahiri’s killing… it’s most probably that fragmentations throughout the Taleban will widen that might lead to inside violence.” – AFP