High Taliban leaders have been holding prolonged discussions about how to reply to the U.S. drone strike
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The Taliban on Thursday stated the federal government had no details about al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri “coming into and residing” in capital metropolis Kabul and warned the USA to by no means repeat an assault on Afghan soil.
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America killed Zawahiri with a missile fired from a drone whereas he stood on a balcony at his Kabul hideout on Sunday, U.S. officers stated, within the largest blow to the militants since U.S. Navy SEALS shot useless Osama bin Laden greater than a decade in the past.
“The federal government and the management wasn’t conscious of what’s being claimed, nor any hint there,” Suhail Shaheen, the designated Taliban consultant to the United Nations, who relies in Doha, stated in an announcement.
“Investigation is underway now to seek out out concerning the veracity of the declare,” he stated, including that the outcomes of the investigation could be shared publicly.
Taliban leaders have remained largely tight-lipped concerning the Sunday drone strike and haven’t confirmed the presence or demise of Zawahiri in Kabul.
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Referring to the drone strike, the Taliban stated “if such incidents are repeated once more and if the territory of Afghanistan is violated then accountability for any penalties might be on United States.”
High Taliban leaders have been holding prolonged discussions about how to reply to the U.S. drone strike, three sources within the group stated.
How the Taliban react might have vital repercussions because the group seeks worldwide legitimacy and entry to billions of {dollars} in frozen funds, following their defeat of a U.S.-backed authorities a yr in the past.
Zawahiri, an Egyptian physician, was carefully concerned within the Sept. 11, 2001, assaults on the USA and was one of many world’s most wished males.
His demise in Kabul raises questions on whether or not he obtained sanctuary from the Taliban, who had assured the USA as a part of a 2020 settlement on the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces that they might not harbor different militant teams.
Shaheen stated the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan – the title the Taliban use for the nation and their authorities – was dedicated to the settlement, signed within the Qatari capital, Doha.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated the Taliban had “grossly violated” the settlement by internet hosting and sheltering Zawahiri.
