Why Questions arising after the Killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri………….Asghar Ali Mubarak …….The US drone that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was launched from Kyrgyzstan. Mean while the Pakistani Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that the drone was not flown from Pakistan to kill al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in the US operation in Afghanistan. US President Joe Biden says that the US has killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the head of al-Qaeda and a close associate of Osama bin Laden, in an attack.Ayman al-Zawahiri, the chief of Al Qaeda , was killed in an airstrike by the US, after that leading to many questions.US media reports claim that the US drone that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul was likely launched from an airbase in Kyrgyzstan.According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Gansi is a former U.S. military base near Bishkek International Airport in Kyrgyzstan, which was operated by the U.S. Air Force and handed over to the Kyrgyz military in June 2014.However, the US administration is still refusing to say where the drone took off from and which route it took. And which route did he use? The Defense Department released only a brief statement, saying Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in an over-the-horizon operation in central Kabul.At 6:18 a.m. Kabul time on Sunday, two Helifires missiles hit the house in a precision counter-terrorism operation.”How Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed, who did it and for what reason, and if this news is true, where was he?” It should be seen whether nothing was decided regarding these matters in the negotiations that took place, if there was no discussion, then this issue should be resolved.It is a fact that the back of the terrorist forces has been broken by this action of America. This time again, the conspiracy of the forces that damaged the relations between Pakistan and the United States and to connect the recent events with the United States failed miserably. Michael Kogelman, a scholar of South Asian affairs at the Wilson Center in Washington, pointed out that the drone attack had “prompted much debate” in the US over Pakistan’s possible role in the attack. He said that ‘I will not exaggerate his role but I will not fully believe that there was no role at all’.Pakistan ended terrorism after 9/11
However, thousands of civilian and military men of Pakistan fell victim to terrorism, Pakistan had to pay a heavy price in the war against terrorism Michael Kugelman focuses on two possible scenarios involving airspace and intelligence. He said that geography does not lie, if this drone was launched from a US base in the Gulf, it would not be able to fly over Iran. If you’re starting a high-speed operation, it’s very difficult to fly over Central Asia and it’s difficult to pull off.He added that Pakistani airspace appears to be the most desirable option for intelligence support in this case, and US officials have indicated that the operation took months to plan and oversee.Michael Kugelman said, “Can America do it all alone without a ground presence?” If not Pakistan, then ‘some partisan Taliban members must have provided this information to the US’. If not Pakistan, then ‘some partisan Taliban members must have provided this information to the US’. However, they do not rule out the possibility that Afghanistan’s Central Asian neighbors are providing this assistance to the US.A report found that the CIA’s drone strike could have been carried out without the help of Afghanistan’s neighbors.”When a missile is launched from a drone, the operator, sometimes sitting in an air-conditioned control room as far away as the continental United States, watches a live video stream of the target, captured by the drone’s camera satellite,” the report said. Used land-launched missiles that have been part of US counterterrorism operations overseas for decades since the September 11, 2001 attacks.That includes helicopters, ground vehicles, ships and fixed-wing aircraft or, in Ayman al-Zawahiri’s case, the option of unmanned drones’.Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in an American drone strike in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, at 6:18 on Sunday morning. Ayman al-Zawahiri, was an Egyptian surgeon who had a $2.5 million bounty on his head . It was reported that the US used drone-launched Helifires air-to-surface missiles that have been part of US counter-terrorism operations overseas for decades since the September 11, 2001 attacks.The US president said that justice has been done and the terrorist leader is no more.If not Pakistan, then ‘some partisan Taliban members must have provided this information to the US’. However, they do not rule out the possibility that Afghanistan’s Central Asian neighbors are providing this assistance to the US.A report found that the CIA’s drone strike could have been carried out without the help of Afghanistan’s neighbors.”When a missile is launched from a drone, the operator, sometimes sitting in an air-conditioned control room as far away as the continental United States, watches a live video stream of the target, captured by the drone’s camera satellite,” the report said.The leader of Al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was infamous for his involvement in the 9/11 attacks, the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as the 2000 attack on the USS Cole. On July 31, he was killed by a US drone attack.According to a report from the UN Security Council dated July 15, Zawahiri was attempting to recruit supporters of al-Qaida by assuring them that his group was prepared to take on the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) and retake the position of the organization in charge of the world’s “jehad” against the US. However, the assessment concludes that due to a lack of resources and Taliban restrictions, AQ and its offshoot organizations are unlikely to conduct strikes outside of Afghanistan in the foreseeable future.But his killing might help Biden stem the tide of public disapproval. Many believe that the Taliban revealed Zawahiri’s whereabouts following talks with the US to gain access to the blocked assets.The Taliban’s spokesperson, Zabiullah Mujahid, denounced the strike and said it was against both international norms and the Doha Agreement of 2020. Similarly, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken charged that by protecting Zawahiri, the Taliban had broken the terms of the Doha Agreement.The issue of whether Pakistan allowed the US access to its airspace for the attack also comes up. The US Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, and Pakistani Army Chief Qamar Jawed Bajwa spoke on the phone last week, according to Pakistani media. In order to prevent a default on the renewed loan programme, Bajwa reportedly asked Wendy to lobby the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the early disbursement of $1.2 billion to Pakistan.The Taliban, Pakistan, and the US may have coinciding interests, one of which is to maintain internal stability in Afghanistan in order to prevent any spillover effects, as has previously occurred. This issue is particularly significant for the security of Pakistan.Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that the drone was not flown from Pakistan to kill al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in the US operation in Afghanistan. “How Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed, who did it and for what reason, and if this news is true, where was he?” It should be seen whether nothing was decided regarding these matters in the negotiations that took place, if it was not discussed then this issue should be resolved.Earlier, the spokesman of the Foreign Office said in his statement yesterday that we have seen the official statement of the United States and the media reports of an action taken by the United States in Afghanistan related to counter-terrorism. He said that Pakistan is a terrorist. In any case, everyone is aware of Pakistan’s role in the fight against terrorism. The spokesperson of the Foreign Office said that Pakistan stands by international law and relevant resolutions of the United Nations to combat terrorism.US President Joe Biden said yesterday that the US killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the head of al-Qaeda and a close associate of Osama bin Laden, in an attack. The biggest blow to the organization is the US President issuing a statement from the White House saying that ‘Justice has been served and the terrorist leader is no more’. Joe Biden further said that ‘No matter how long it takes, No matter where you are hiding, if you are a threat to our people, America will find you and digout you.A senior US administration official told reporters that “US intelligence has determined with ‘full confidence’ through various intelligence reports that the person killed was Ayman al-Zawahiri.” The report stated that Ayman al-Zawahiri On Sunday morning at 6:18 am, an American drone was killed in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.Taliban sources said there were reports of at least one drone flying over Kabul. A senior US official said the search for Ayman al-Zawahiri was the result of ongoing counter-terrorism efforts. Al-Zawahiri’s wife, daughter and children moved to a safe house in Kabul and then found him there himself. The US official said he had been making videos in the safe house that may have continued after his death. Egyptian Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri was one of the most wanted men involved in the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. After his death in Kabul, questions have been raised whether Ayman al-Zawahiri was sheltered by the Taliban. Foreign Minister Antony Blanken said yesterday that the Taliban has clearly violated the agreement by giving shelter to Ayman al-Zawahiri.It is the second biggest blow to the militants since the killing of Osama bin Laden nearly a decade ago. Taliban leaders have been largely silent about the drone strike and have not confirmed Ayman al-Zawahiri’s presence or death in Kabul.Sohail Shaheen, the Taliban’s designated representative to the United Nations in Doha, told reporters in a message that the government and top leadership were not aware of the claim being made and had no clue of it. He said that An investigation is underway to ascertain the veracity of the claim and the results of the investigation will be shared publicly.Top Taliban leaders are in intensive talks on how to respond to the US drone strike. The Taliban’s response to the defeat of the US-backed government could have significant ramifications. According to a UN report prepared for the Security Council on July 26, 2021, al-Qaeda is present in at least 15 provinces in eastern, southern and southeastern Afghanistan. The report presents the latest information on ISIS, Al-Qaeda and their affiliated groups. This team was established under the resolution of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and its report is based on all the official reports of the international organization. The report said that despite the US-Taliban peace agreement signed in Doha in February last year, the security situation in Afghanistan is “fragile” and there is a risk of further deterioration in the uncertainty related to the Afghan peace process. Quoting the newsletter ‘Thab’, the UN report stated that Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQUIS) operates from Kandahar, Helmand and Nimroz provinces under the protection of the Taliban. Ayman al-Zawahiri will be succeeded by Saif al-Adl al-Qaeda, who is based in Iran.”Member countries have different opinions about what issues they will think about if Ayman al-Zawahiri is replaced by Saif al-Adl.”
