Taliban claims it was unaware al-Qaeda chief al-Zawahri was in Afghanistan before US drone strike

The Taliban on Thursday said it was not aware that al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri had been staying in Kabul, four days after he was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan’s capital. 

In a move to reverse terse comments released by the Taliban on Tuesday after President Biden announced the drone strike Sunday, the Taliban said it had ordered “investigative and intelligence agencies to conduct serious and comprehensive investigations on various aspects of the mentioned event.”

The Taliban, which overthrew Afghanistan nearly a year ago, first condemned the strike and said it was a “clear violation of… the Doha Agreement.”