The White House faced a torrent of questions from reporters regarding the presence of al Qaeda in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan after the killing of the extremist network’s leader, Ayman al Zawahiri, shed light on the Taliban’s standing.
A CIA drone strike took out al Zawahiri on Saturday night as he stood on the balcony of a safe house in Kabul, Afghanistan, where he had been hiding for months. His presence was known by “senior members” of the Haqqani network, which has ties to al Qaeda and whose members have received top positions in the Taliban’s interim government.
TALIBAN LEADERS KNEW AL ZAWAHIRI WAS IN AFGHANISTAN, BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SAYS
The news of his presence in Afghanistan and that Taliban officials tried to cover-up the al Zawahiri strike raised questions about the Taliban’s willingness to create an environment that would allow terror groups to rebuild their ranks. Despite those possibilities, the White House has touted the strike that killed al Zawahiri as a message to other terror leaders in Afghanistan — that the United States can still target them even if the Taliban are in control and without U.S. troops.
“[Al Qaeda wasn’t] playing a major role in operations or resourcing and planning in Afghanistan,” National Security Council communications coordinator John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday. “But Peter, I know — specifically because I was at a different podium a year ago and we talked about the fact that al Qaeda had a presence in Afghanistan but small and not incredibly powerful or … potent. And I think again, without getting into the numbers, we would still assess that to be the case.”
“We said at the time that as we depart Afghanistan, we’re going to keep vigilant, we’re going to stay ready, and we’re not going to let Afghanistan become a safe haven for terrorists who threaten our homeland,” he added. “And this past weekend, we proved that case precisely.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“I’m not going to telegraph decisions that haven’t been made or policy initiatives one way or the other,” he continued after being pressed by a reporter about what the U.S. is “going to do about” Afghanistan being a place where terrorists feel safe.
The strike was the U.S.’s first over-the-horizon strike in Afghanistan since the military withdrew at the end of August of last year, which concluded nearly 20 years since the U.S. military presence began after 9/11, which al Zawahiri was responsible for helping plan as Osama bin Laden’s deputy.
