Taliban violated Doha agreement by sheltering Zawahiri - White House

Record ID: 1683400

  • Title: Taliban violated Doha agreement by sheltering Zawahiri - White House
  • Date: 2nd August 2022
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (AUGUST 02, 2022) (REUTERS) WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY SPOKESMAN JOHN KIRBY SPEAKING AT WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY SPOKESMAN, JOHN KIRBY, SAYING: “As Karine noted and you have obviously been tracking, uh, the President's announcement yesterday that on the 30th of July, the United
  • Embargoed: 16th August 2022 23:49
  • Keywords: Afghanistan Afghanistan United States John Kirby Taliban violated Doha agreement U.S. strike al Qaeda White House briefing al Qaeda zawahiri
  • Location: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
  • City: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,United States
  • Reuters ID: LVA001609702082022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The United States killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri with a drone missile while he stood on a balcony at his home in Kabul, U.S. officials said, the biggest blow to the militants since Osama bin Laden was shot dead more than a decade ago.
    Afghanistan's Taliban government has not confirmed the death of Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who had a $25 million bounty on his head and helped to coordinate the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people.
    U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Zawahiri was killed when he came out on the balcony of his safe house in the Afghan capital at 6:18 a.m. (0148 GMT) on Sunday and was hit by Hellfire missiles from a U.S. drone.
    "Now justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more," U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday.
    Biden said he authorized the strike after months of planning and that no civilians or family members were killed.
    "The world will be a safer place," said Britain's foreign minister Liz Truss.
    Three spokespeople in the Taliban administration declined comment on Tuesday. The United States accused the Taliban of violating an agreement between them by sheltering Zawahiri.
    White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby on Tuesday at the White House press briefing said: "We have made it clear that not we believe, not we think, not we supposed, but we know that's a violation of the Doha Agreement.”
    Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid previously confirmed that a strike took place in Kabul on Sunday and called it a violation of "international principles."
    (Production: Colette Luke)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register