The Taliban says it is unaware that the US killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul but said that it would investigate what is said was the US claim.
“The government and the leadership weren’t aware of what is being claimed, nor any trace there. Investigation is underway now to find out about the veracity of the claim,” Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban representative to the United Nations, told journalists on Thursday.
Taliban leaders reportedly are talking about how to respond to the US drone strike in its capital on Sunday.
John Kirby, the US National Security Council spokesman, on Tuesday said the United States has “visual evidence” and “evidence collected through other means” that the CIA drone strike killed Zawahiri.
Kirby also told reporters that Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul was a “gross violation of the Doha Agreement,” which stipulated that the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” which is not recognized by the United States or any other country, will not allow any of its members or members of other groups, including al-Qaida, to use the territory of Afghanistan to launch operations against the United States and its allies.