The assassination of the leader of the terrorist group brings up a lot of awkward issues. Towards the United States of America, as well as the Taliban.
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| [Ayman al-Zawahiri] |
Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian doctor and extremist leader, seemed to be a mere shell of his former self. Over the last twenty years, there was very little to no information available on the activities of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Still, the fact that the 71-year-old man was really slain after twenty decades of the "war on terror" is worthy of a story, in part because it raises certain issues that are unsettling.
The death of Al-Zawahiri is not a victory that ought to be celebrated. After all, the Egyptian wasn't killed in the middle of the desert or in a remote Afghan mountain village. Rather, he was killed in the middle of the former "Green Zone" in Kabul, which was once frequented by diplomats, mercenaries, non-governmental organizations, and corrupt politicians and warlords.
Al-Zawahiri was the previous occupant of the property, and the previous renter was a close advisor to the former President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani. A year ago, when NATO soldiers left and the Taliban gained control of Kabul, he fled the country with the president.
Funerals were often inadvertently targeted by drone strikes
Throughout the twenty years of conflict, the United States military focused its bombing efforts mostly on the rural areas of Afghanistan. Villages in Afghanistan were considered as breeding grounds for militantism and extremism as well as safe havens for wanted terrorists. Surprisingly, those individuals who were also on the hit lists of the Americans were seldom struck, much alone hurt or killed. Instead, the Predator drones often targeted events such as wedding receptions and funerals as their targets of opportunity.
Over the course of the last several years, al-Zawahiri has been declared dead many times, even after what looked to be very accurate surgical procedures. The same may be said of the alleged host of the al-Qaeda head, the leader of the Taliban Sirajuddin Haqqani, who at the present time is serving as the interior minister for the Taliban administration. But at the same time, the most apparent question, which is, "Who were all of the individuals who were slain in their place?", was seldom ever asked.
Ex-President Barack Obama also spoke once it was revealed that al-Zawahiri had been killed shortly after the statement. On Twitter, President Obama said, "Tonight's news is evidence that you can defeat terrorism without going to war in Afghanistan." This statement was in response to recent events. Given that he was the one who previously intensified the conflict in the Hindu Kush and made Afghanistan the nation that has been subjected to the most drone bombings in the world, this verges on cynicism.
1,147 civilians died in targeted killings between 2002 and 2014 alone
According to an estimate made by the British human rights group "Reprieve" in 2014, there were 1,147 people murdered by drones in Pakistan and Yemen over 41 different targets. This estimate was based on an analysis of studies and stories from the media covering the period of 2002 to 2014.
Al-Zawahiri and Haqqani were also thought to be in the region spanning the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan at the time, thus they were included among the targets. The United States military's most recent drone operation, which took place in Kabul around a year ago during the retreat, did not kill terrorists as the Americans first claimed it had done; rather, it killed 10 people in the city.
The story told by the United States government could only be debunked via the labor of journalists reporting from the scene. The relatives of those who were killed are still awaiting an apology and the compensation monies that were promised to them.
In the context of the assassination of al-Zawahiri, another uncomfortable reality that is sometimes overlooked is the fact that acts of this kind are in violation of any and all principles of international law. When they come into contact with wanted terrorists, this is also the case.
Because it is generally accepted that they, like everyone else, are entitled to a trial that is conducted in accordance with the rule of law. One of the most significant accomplishments of western democracies is the presumption of innocence; yet, since since the start of the so-called "war on terror," this assumption has been irreversibly undermined.
The West also feels morally superior because it has abolished the death penalty
Since then, the seemingly incongruous status quo has been as follows: We are morally superior and the "good guys" because we abolished the death penalty, but extrajudicial executions - even with European assistance - in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, or anywhere else are fine. This is the status quo. Or, to put it another way, the phrase "anyone who travels to Waziristan and dies there has only themselves to blame" was formerly used by the Federal Foreign Office.
A year after departing Afghanistan, Biden seemed determined to make it clear that the traditional "war on terror" is not even close to being over.
The Taliban, who are now plainly in a grave crisis, have remained silent during this whole ordeal, which is equally telling and reveals apparent divisions inside the organisation. Because Afghanistan's new leaders invited al-Zawahiri to their country, it is quite likely that they have breached the Doha Agreement, which they signed with the United States government in the Gulf Emirate of Qatar at the beginning of the year 2020.
However, according to all reports and assumptions, the al-Qaeda chief's hosts were not the same men who had negotiated with the Americans at the time; rather, they were the Haqqanis, a notorious wing within the Taliban that is known for its close ties to international jihadists. This conclusion is based on the fact that the Haqqanis are believed to have been the ones who hosted the al-Qaeda chief.
The suspicion that another faction of the Taliban was actively working directly or indirectly against the Haqqanis and revealed the al-Qaeda leader's hiding place is therefore reasonable. This suspicion stems from the fact that the Haqqanis were the ones who found out where the al-Qaeda leader was hiding. It is quite improbable that a team from the United States could succeed without the assistance of locals.
It is not yet apparent what all of this implies for the relationship that exists between the United States and the Taliban. Not only did prominent Taliban commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Bradar continue to communicate to the CIA after the withdrawal that took place a year ago, but he also allegedly did so during a meeting that took place not too long ago in Uzbekistan. There are things that everyone wants, like putting an end to the so-called "Islamic State" (IS), which is one of those things. And at this very time, followers of ISIS are being slaughtered in a horrific manner in Afghanistan.
It is not yet possible to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Washington and the Taliban are working together on this matter. In any event, it was remarkable that United States Vice President Joe Biden did not make a single reference to the Taliban in his speech regarding the assassination of Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul. On the other hand, his foreign secretary Anthony Blinken did not hold back when he accused the Taliban of violating the Doha Cooperation Treaty by allegedly harboring the al-Qaeda leader.
The author Emran Feroz is an Austrian-Afghan journalist.