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.
The largest blow to the extremists since Osama bin Laden was assassinated more than ten years ago came on Sunday when Zawahiri was killed by a missile fired from a drone while he was standing on a balcony at his hideout in Kabul, according to US authorities.
Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban ambassador to the UN who is headquartered in Doha, stated that “the government and the leadership was not aware of what is being claimed, neither was there any evidence. He said an inquiry was being carried out to ascertain whether the accusation was true and that the results will be made public.
Regarding the Sunday drone hit, Taliban commanders have mainly kept quiet and have not acknowledged Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul or his demise.
