The Taliban on Thursday announced it was investigating the US claim that al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a CIA drone strike in Kabul and said it was not aware of his presence in the Afghan capital.
Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the Taliban-led government, known formally as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, has “no information about Ayman al-Zawahiri’s arrival and stay in Kabul.”
“The leadership of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has instructed the investigative and intelligence agencies to conduct a comprehensive and serious investigation into the various aspects of the incident,” Mujahid said.
The US has said the presence of Zawahiri in Kabul violated the Doha agreement, which paved the way for the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Under the agreement, the Taliban pledged not to allow al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups to gain a foothold and use Afghanistan as a platform to launch attacks on other countries.
“There is no threat to any country, including America, from the soil of Afghanistan, the Islamic Emirate wants to implement the Doha pact and the violation of the pact must end,” Mujahid said. The Taliban have said the US violated the agreement by launching the drone strike, which Mujahid condemned.
President Biden announced the operation that he said took out Zawahiri on Monday. He said US intelligence located the al-Qaeda leader earlier in the year, and that Zawahiri moved to downtown Kabul to live with his family.
The White House said on Tuesday that it has no DNA confirmation that it was Zawahiri who was killed in the strike. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby insisted that the US had “visual” and other types of confirmation that Zawahiri was killed.
This has that old familiar smell.
Typically the next guy will try to prove himself by being more aggressive, these kind of actions tend to be counterproductive. This guy was nice and safe in Kabul all the whiskey and dancing boys he could want not bothering anybody best that I can tell and we go and do this. It is like we are seeking conflict
John that is not obl or zawahiri operated. These were fanatically loyal to their idea and they wouldn’t partake on the type of activities u mentioned. And bacchabazi was done by us backed forces taliban or aq never did type of stuff as that is haram for them.
Actually I m with the us on this one if they indeed get him this was a legitimate strike this guy wouldn’t have stopped doing what he is doing.
Bingo!
Like the Taliban has a National Investigation Unit with forensic capability. Lol.