Taliban say they had no info of Zawahiri's 'arrival & stay' in Kabul

Kabul, Aug 04, 2022, IANS

The caretaker Taliban administration in Afghanistan has said that the group was uninformed of Ayman al-Zawahiris "arrival and stay" in Kabul, although it is uncertain whether the Taliban have explicitly acknowledged or denied the American assertion that the al-Qaeda chief has been killed, media reports said.

In a statement released on Thursday, senior Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the group has instructed its intelligence agencies to conduct thorough and comprehensive probe into the various aspects of this case, Khaama Press reported.

According to the Taliban spokesman, no country, including the United States, is under threat from Afghanistan.

He said the Taliban intend to put the Doha Agreement into effect and that its violations has to stop.

The Taliban once again denounced the US attack on Kabul as a violation of Afghan airspace and against international norms and warned that the US will be held responsible for the consequences of such attacks, if repeated.

On the other hand, several top American officials, including Zalmay Khalilzad, claimed that some Taliban leaders were aware of Zawahiri's presence in Kabul.

The death of Ayman al-Zawahiri, in the eyes of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, has strengthened global security.

By "hosting and sheltering" the al-Qaeda chief in Kabul, the Taliban administration in Afghanistan violated its commitments to the international community, according to Blinken.

According to Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to US President Joe Biden, they are in contact with the Taliban to find out whether the Taliban sheltered al-Zawahiri, Khaama Press reported.

The Taliban have officially pledged to renounce ties with terrorist organisations and prohibit the use of Afghan soil against other countries in the pact it signed with the United States in Doha in February 2020.