• Taliban to look into US allegation, claims "No Trace" of killing of Al Qaeda chief

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    Taliban to look into US allegation, claims "No Trace" of killing of Al Qaeda chief

    Digital Desk: According
    to a Taliban spokesperson on Thursday, the group's leadership was unaware of
    the presence of Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul and is looking into a US
    "claim" that he was killed in a US drone strike there.



    mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">According to US
    sources, Zawahiri was killed by a missile fired from a drone on Sunday while he
    was standing on a balcony at his hideout in Kabul. This was the worst blow to the
    terrorists since Osama bin Laden was murdered more than ten years ago.
    Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">



    mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">The authorised
    Taliban envoy to the UN, Suhail Shaheen, who is stationed in Doha, told media
    in a message that "the government and the leadership were not aware of
    what is being stated, nor were there any traces there."



    mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">He stated that an
    investigation was currently being conducted to determine the validity of the
    accusation and that the findings would be made public.



    mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">Regarding the
    Sunday drone hit, Taliban commanders have mainly kept quiet and have not
    acknowledged Zawahiri's presence in Kabul or his demise.



    mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">Three sources
    within the Taliban indicated that senior commanders had been debating how to
    react to the US drone strike for some time.



    mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">Following their
    overthrow of a US-backed government a year ago, the Taliban are seeking
    international recognition and access to billions of dollars in frozen cash, and
    how they respond might have a big impact.



    mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">One of the most
    sought-after persons in the world, Zawahiri is an Egyptian doctor who had a key
    role in the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.



    mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">His murder in
    Kabul raises concerns about whether he had protection from the Taliban, who had
    given the US assurances that they would not harbour other terrorist
    organisations as part of a 2020 deal on the withdrawal of US-led forces.



    mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">The deal was
    signed in the capital of Qatar, Doha, and according to Shaheen, the Islamic
    Emirate of Afghanistan, as the Taliban refer to their nation and government, is
    committed to it.



    By hosting and protecting Zawahiri, according to US Secretary of
    State Antony Blinken, the Taliban had "grossly breached" the deal.