Ayman al-Zawahiri, the successor to Osama bin Laden and fugitive from al-Qaida, was killed by the United States in a drone strike on Sunday in Kabul. The attack was the first of its kind carried out by the United States since it withdrew its forces from the region. This has led to recriminations and fighting between the Taliban and its patron Pakistan regarding who betrayed al-Zawahiri.
According to authorities from the United States, Zawahiri was struck by two Hellfire missiles as he stepped onto the balcony of a Taliban-controlled safe house in Kabul. Zawahiri and members of his family had moved to Kabul earlier this year from Pakistan.
Joe Biden, the President of the United States, said in a televised address, “Justice has been delivered.” He also reiterated the American motto 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.”
According to reports, US eyes in the air and spies on the ground monitored Zawahiri for weeks to ascertain his routine and guarantee that no other members of his family were murdered in the drone operation that had been planned for weeks.
Speculation regarding continued US assets in the region, in Kabul, and Pakistan’s role in the operation was exacerbated by reports of solid identification and confirmation on the ground that it was Zawahiri who was eliminated.
Some analysts suggested that Zawahiri had been “sacrificed” by Pakistan in order to get back in good standing with the United States and secure financial aid, including a bailout from the International Monetary Fund. They based this hypothesis on the recent appeal that army chief Bajwa made to Washington for financial assistance.
Amrulla Saleh, a prominent figure in the Afghan resistance movement, was one of the individuals who made the observation that “for much of its history, Pakistan has managed to ameliorate its financial crises by monetizing of danger from Afg and banking on the security interest of the West.”
“After the United States successfully eliminated Osama Bin Laden, relations between the two countries reached an all-time low. The elimination of Zawahiri by the United States, which may have been done with support from Pakistan, might result in one of the most significant improvements in relations with Pakistan in recent memory “South Asia expert Michael Kugelman, who works at the Wilson Center, tweeted the following.
However, other analysts cautioned that it was also possible that Zawahiri’s coordinates were sold out by sections of the Taliban that are opposed to Pakistan and its proxies in Kabul, and which did not want Al-Qaida to return to Afghanistan. They did not want Al-Qaida to return to Afghanistan because they did not want it to return to Afghanistan.
According to reports, the fugitive head of Al-Qaida was escorted to a safe house in Kabul by leaders of the Haqqani network. The Haqqani network is regarded to be a virtual arm of the ISI, and it is now thought to be part of the primitive ruling clique in Afghanistan.
The current Interior Minister for the Taliban administration is Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is also the son of the network’s founder, Jalaluddin Haqqani. The Taliban government is notorious for being split up into many groups.
The administration of the Taliban issued a statement in which it condemned the drone assault, saying that it did so “in the harshest possible terms,” and that it believes the attack to be a clear violation of both international standards and the Doha Agreement.
In response, the United States Department of State stated that it was the Taliban that had broken their promise made in the Doha agreement to not allow terrorist groups to operate within their territory and to sever all relations with those groups. This statement was made in response to an accusation that the United States had made.
It will take some time for the smoke to clear and the mirrors to become clear, but for the time being, it is certain that the United States government has eliminated one of the remaining Al-Qaida terrorists. However, the cloud of suspicion that has settled over the region will not be lifted.
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