The Al-Qaeda terror network hailed the Taliban on their win in Afghanistan, calling it a "historic victory" as the US prepares to leave the nation.
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| [Soldiers in Kabul Airport, Afghanistan] |
The Al-Qaeda terror network hailed the Taliban on their win in Afghanistan, calling it a "historic victory" as the US prepares to leave the nation. It also urged Afghans to have faith in and support the Taliban.
On Tuesday evening, Al-"General Qaeda's Command" sent out a two-page statement via its Al-Sahab propaganda branch. "The Afghan debacle of America and NATO marks the beginning of the end of a dark era of Western domination and military occupation of Islamic countries," it claims. The Afghan people are being urged to put their faith in and support the Taliban.
The Taliban, who had provided sanctuary to members of the terrorist network, were expelled from Kabul by US troops in 2001. Al-Qaeda is already operating in almost a third of Afghanistan's provinces, according to a UN assessment dated May 2020. As a result, the violent Islamist Taliban and the United States have strong ties. In February 2020, the Taliban agreed to stop cooperating with Al Qaeda as part of a deal with the United States.
Al Qaeda declared, "We would like to congratulate the Islamic emirate on this historic event, especially (Taliban leader) Haibatullah Achundsada," “God promised us victory and Bush promised us defeat; we will see which promise is fulfilled,” the writers wrote, alluding to former US President George W. Bush, who spearheaded the US invasion of Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (“The Base”), a terrorist organization based on the Afghan-Pakistani border, was formed in the late 1980s and is fighting for an Islamist world rule. Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, was killed in Pakistan by a US special forces team in 2011. Aiman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian, took over as his successor. He died of natural causes in November 2020, according to reports.
Al-Qaeda is “immeasurably stronger” today than it was when the 9/11 attacks occurred 20 years ago, according to the Soufan Group research group. As a result, the network has a global membership of 30,000 to 40,000 people, with branches throughout the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and the Arabian Peninsula. Despite several defeats, al-Qaeda was able to recover power and recruit new members in Afghanistan following the US pullout.
Despite their shared jihadist philosophy, Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) are bitter enemies.