The house Al-Zawahri was in when he was killed was owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, according to a senior intelligence official. 'Over the weekend, the United States conducted a counterterrorism operation against a significant Al Qaeda target in Afghanistan,' a senior administration official said. 'The operation was successful and there were no civilian casualties.' President Joe Biden approved the operation last week and it was carried out on Sunday.
US intelligence officials tracked Zawahri to a home in downtown Kabul where he was hiding out with his family. 'Repeating such actions will damage the available opportunities.' 'Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan and the region,' he continued.
'The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns this attack on whatever the pretext,' he said in a statement, referring to the organization by its official name. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (pictured August 2021) condemned the US air strike that killed Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, alleging it 'violated international principles'īlinken's remarks came hours after Mujahid publicly denounced the air strike Monday, calling it a 'blatant violation of international principles and the Doha agreement.' President Joe Biden, addressing Zawahri's death Monday night, said he hopes it brings 'one more measure of closure' to families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. UN security intelligence experts revealed in June that Al Qaeda was enjoying a 'safe haven' in Afghanistan under the Taliban and warned the country could become a base for international terrorist attacks once again. The deal was signed in February 2020 and secured the withdrawal of all NATO troops from Afghanistan on the condition the Taliban would not allow the territory to be used as a launchpad for Al Qaeda or Islamic State attacks against the US. However, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken argued the Taliban failed to 'abide by their commitment' to prevent Al Qaeda from operating in areas under its control - as outlined in the Donald Trump-era agreement. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said their government 'strongly condemns this attack on whatever the pretext' and claimed it violated the Doha peace treaty. The US Secretary of State slammed the Taliban for 'grossly' violating the Doha agreement by housing the leader of Al Qaeda, after the group denounced the US for killing the terrorist in a drone strike.Īyman al-Zawahiri, who took over as leader of Al Qaeda after founder Osama bin Laden's death, was killed in a CIA drone strike in Kabul on Sunday.
0 kommentar(er)
