Ruins at website of drone strike that killed al-Qaeda chief, Taliban tight-lipped | Ground report

India Today reached the Wazir Akber Khan space of Kabul, which resembles a struggle zone after al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a US drone strike final month.

al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a US drone strike final month (File picture)

A pitted street, ruined homes and lumps of particles mark the positioning in Afghanistan’s Kabul the place a US airstrike killed dreaded al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri final month.

The drone strike got here simply shy of a yr for the reason that fall of Kabul to the Taliban, which had prompted the US forces posted within the war-ravaged nation to beat a hasty retreat and withdraw after a 20-year keep.

India Today reached the Wazir Akber Khan space of Kabul, a once-posh residential neighbourhood that now resembles a struggle zone within the wake of the deadly drone strike.

‘THERE WAS NOTHING’

Construction crews are onerous at work to rebuild the roads that had been destroyed within the hail of Hellfire missiles fired by the US navy drone. One of the engineers on the spot, Sheikh Zain, informed India Today that that they had heard one thing had occurred within the space early on the morning of July 31, a Sunday.

However, no info was shared with them or anybody else within the neighbourhood by the Taliban authorities as to what precisely had taken place, he stated.

“When we came to work, there was nothing. No one told us anything. We just do the work,” stated Sheikh Zain.

While Taliban officers have confirmed the drone strike, they’ve constantly maintained that there have been no casualties. Last week, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated the physique of Ayman al-Zawahiri has not been discovered and they’re persevering with investigations.

READ | What Ayman al-Zawahiri’s killing means for Al-Qaeda and worldwide safety

PAK HAND IN DRONE STRIKE?

Sources revealed that the Taliban authorities can be suspicious that its neighbour Pakistan performed a job within the airstrike. According to investigations, the assault drone could have been launched from Peshawar and Pakistan might have helped the US by offering intelligence, the sources stated.

A detailed aide of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, Zawahiri succeeded him as al-Qaeda chief after his killing by US Navy Seals in Pakistan’s Abottabad in 2011. Zawahiri’s presence within the Afghan capital raised questions on whether or not he obtained sanctuary from the Taliban.

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