The Taliban condemned the United States (US) drone attack in Kabul on Saturday that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, saying it was in “clear violation” of both international law and the 2020 Doha Agreement.
The Taliban’s chief spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a statement that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) “strongly condemns this attack on any cause and calls it a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement.”
The Taliban Spokesman complained about a US drone strike being a violation of the Doha agreement.
— Alex Plitsas 🇺🇸 (@alexplitsas) August 1, 2022
Do you know what else is a violation of the Doha agreement?
Hosting al Qaida senior leaders in Afghanistan.
The spokesperson added that the strike happened in a residential house in the Sherpur area of Kabul, a diplomatic area that is home to several Taliban leaders. “Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the US, Afghanistan and the region,” he asserted.
Echoing the Taliban leadership’s sentiments, Afghan political analyst Mohammad Nasir Haqqani told TOLO News: “When the US exited, it destroyed the radars of the airport, therefore such attacks could not be prevented and this attack is an obvious violation by the US in Afghanistan.”
Sayed Akbar Agha, another local political analyst, told the media house: “The US should have remained committed to whatever was promised in the Doha agreement but this attack showed that the US itself has violated the Doha agreement.”
“By hosting & sheltering the leader of al Qa’ida in Kabul,the Taliban grossly violated the Doha Agreement & repeated assurances to the world that they would not allow Afghan territory to be used by terrorists to threaten the security of other countries,”US State Dept said Monday pic.twitter.com/osxJLfOIwe
— VOA DEEWA (@voadeewa) August 2, 2022
The US, too, has accused the Taliban government of being in violation of the Doha Agreement. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken slammed the Taliban for “hosting and sheltering” Zawahiri in Kabul and said it had therefore “grossly violated” the agreement. “They also betrayed the Afghan people and their own stated desire for recognition from and normalisation with the international community,” he asserted.
Blinken added that “in the face of the Taliban’s unwillingness or inability to abide by their commitments,” the US would “continue to support the Afghan people with robust humanitarian assistance and to advocate for the protection of their human rights, especially of women and girls.”
The sharp rhetoric from both sides comes after the US on Monday announced that Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, a key architect behind the infamous 9/11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000, was successfully eliminated in a “precision strike” on an urban safe house in Kabul on Saturday.
If the Taliban want a relationship with the US and the international community, "then it would behoove them to pay close attention to what we just did over the weekend and to meet their agreements under the Doha agreement," NSC spox John Kirby says during WH press briefing.
— Jared Szuba (@JM_Szuba) August 2, 2022
In a live televised speech on Monday, President Joe Biden asserted, “Now justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more,” adding, “We make it clear again tonight that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out.”
Following the death of former Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden, Zawahiri became the head of the terrorist group in 2011. An Egyptian national, Al-Zawahiri had a $25 million bounty on his head. With his death and a weakened Al Qaeda presence, security experts believe that the current Al Qaeda deputy, Saif al Adel, who was in Iran during the attack, will be the successor.