{"id":1585012,"date":"2022-08-02T13:25:10","date_gmt":"2022-08-02T17:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1585012"},"modified":"2022-08-02T13:25:23","modified_gmt":"2022-08-02T17:25:23","slug":"biden-said-al-qaida-was-gone-from-afghanistan-the-us-just-killed-the-groups-leader-in-kabul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-said-al-qaida-was-gone-from-afghanistan-the-us-just-killed-the-groups-leader-in-kabul\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden Said Al-Qaida Was \u2018Gone\u2019 From Afghanistan. The US Just Killed The Group\u2019s Leader In Kabul"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-said-al-qaida-was-gone-from-afghanistan-the-us-just-killed-the-groups-leader-in-kabul%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1585012&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GettyImages-1242253875-e1659458080401-scaled.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A U.S. drone strike killed the Al-Qaida terrorist organization\u2019s top official in Kabul, Afghanistan, over the weekend.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The Biden administration claimed after the August 2021 withdrawal of U.S. troops that Al-Qaida was \u201cgone\u201d and could no longer threaten American security.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cZawahiri\u2019s presence in post-withdrawal Afghanistan suggests that, as feared, the Taliban is once more granting safe haven to the leaders of al-Qaeda\u2014a group with which it has never broken,\u201d Ambassador Nathan Sales told the Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>President Joe Biden claimed Al-Qaida, the notorious terrorist group, had no presence in Afghanistan after he pulled all U.S. troops from the embattled country in August 2021. Nearly a year later, the U.S. killed Al-Qaida\u2019s highest ranking official in a drone strike in Afghanistan\u2019s capital city.<\/p>\n<p>Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/08\/01\/white-house-us-kills-ayman-al-zawahiri-al-qaeda-leader\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">announced<\/a> Monday evening that Ayman al-Zawahiri, who masterminded the 9\/11 attacks as second-in-command of the Osama bin Laden\u2019s terrorist organization, Al-Qaida, and later took over its leadership, died in a CIA <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/08\/02\/zawahiri-ninja-bomb-al-qaida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">drone strike<\/a> in Kabul on Sunday local time. However, he justified the decision fully <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/09\/13\/joe-biden-antony-blinken-afghanistan-withdrawal-testimony-polling-2022\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">withdraw<\/a> U.S. troops from Aghanistan in 2021 with the claim that the U.S. had eliminated the major terrorist threat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2015\/08\/14\/14-years-later-al-qaidas-hq-is-once-again-afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">interest<\/a> do we have in Afghanistan at this point, with Al-Qaida gone?\u201d Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=qZvzV5OkT70&#038;t=699s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a> on August 20, days after Kabul fell to the Taliban.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe went to Afghanistan for the express purpose of getting rid of Al-Qaida in Afghanistan as well as getting Osama bin Laden, and we did,\u201d he added, referencing the 2001 initial U.S. invasion that became a 20-year war against terrorism. <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/07\/19\/biden-administration-review-afghan-withdrawal-delay-sent-back\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>(RELATED: REPORT: Biden Administration May Bury Review Of Afghan Withdrawal Fiasco Until After The Midterms)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Former Pentagon press secretary John Kirby <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/News\/Transcripts\/Transcript\/Article\/2741479\/pentagon-press-secretary-john-f-kirby-holds-a-press-briefing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">contradicted<\/a> Biden\u2019s statement later that day, noting that \u201cAl-Qaida is a presence, as well as ISIS, in Afghanistan, and we\u2019ve talked about that for quite some time.\u201d However, Kirby added that the number of fighters remaining did not constitute a security threat to the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cZawahiri\u2019s presence in post-withdrawal Afghanistan suggests that, as feared, the Taliban is once more granting safe haven to the leaders of al-Qaeda \u2014 a group with which it has never broken. Zawahiri was living in a safe house in the heart of Kabul, which only happens with the Taliban\u2019s approval,\u201d Ambassador Nathan Sales, Vandenberg Coalition Advisory Board member and former ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counterterrorism, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>Biden\u2019s announcement came after the Taliban emir <a href=\"https:\/\/justpaste.it\/83k96\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">promised<\/a> in July that Afghanistan would not serve as a base for staging attacks against other countries. Taliban leader and Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani said Tuesday that \u201cAl-Qaeda has no presence in Afghanistan\u201d and is \u201calready dead,\u201d CNN affiliate News18 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-in\/health\/medical\/al-qaeda-has-no-presence-in-afghanistan-confirms-taliban-minister-sirajuddin-haqqani-english-news\/vp-AA10dstJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>However, Taliban officials knew about Zawahiri\u2019s presence in Kabul and took steps to protect him from U.S. detection, senior administration officials <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2022\/08\/01\/politics\/joe-biden-counter-terrorism\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">told<\/a> CNN. Officials said U.S. intelligence tracked his move to a safe house in Afghanistan\u2019s capital earlier this year and targeted Zawahiri as he relaxed on the balcony, possibly killing two individuals related to Haqqani in the strike, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/source-haqqanis-sons-killed-in-strike\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to CBS News.<\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/speeches-remarks\/2021\/09\/09\/remarks-by-assistant-to-the-president-for-homeland-security-dr-liz-sherwood-randall-on-the-future-of-the-u-s-counterterrorism-mission-aligning-strategy-policy-and-resources\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">adopted<\/a> a counterterrorism approach in 2021 of targeting terrorist threats at long range from bases in cooperative countries as an alternative to having forces stationed in Afghanistan. However, the strike against Zawahiri is the first known implementation of the strategy.<\/p>\n<p>While the Taliban <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Agreement-For-Bringing-Peace-to-Afghanistan-02.29.20.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">committed<\/a> to a ceasefire and breaking off ties with Al-Qaida as part of the Doha Agreement in exchange for U.S. withdrawal, the terrorist group became more active throughout 2020 as the Trump administration negotiated with the Taliban, Forbes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/asia_pacific\/taliban-al-qaeda-afghanistan\/2020\/12\/07\/79d4bddc-3414-11eb-9699-00d311f13d2d_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/News\/Transcripts\/Transcript\/Article\/2782255\/pentagon-press-secretary-john-f-kirby-holds-a-press-briefing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a> it needed to reassess a previous determination that Al-Qaeda reemergence was a medium risk in September, calling the group\u2019s Afghanistan presence \u201ca threat rising to the level of a possible attack on the homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>U.S. officials estimated that the Taliban could restore its capacity to conduct external attacks within two years under Taliban rule in the absence of U.S. counterterrorism measures, <a href=\"https:\/\/crsreports.congress.gov\/product\/pdf\/IF\/IF11854\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to a May 2022 report from the Congressional Research Service.<\/p>\n<p>A June 2021 UN <a href=\"https:\/\/documents-dds-ny.un.org\/doc\/UNDOC\/GEN\/N21\/107\/61\/PDF\/N2110761.pdf?OpenElement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">report<\/a> found that \u201clarge numbers\u201d of Al-Qaida fighters and high-level leaders \u201caligned with the Taliban\u201d operated in at least 15 Afghan provinces, and the Taliban was using the ongoing withdrawal of U.S. troops to tighten its control of Al-Qaida.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAl-Qaida and like-minded militants continue to celebrate developments in Afghanistan as a victory for the Taliban\u2019s cause and thus for global radicalism,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Statement of the spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate regarding the drone attack in Kabul city<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WWQC4iMo4a\">https:\/\/t.co\/WWQC4iMo4a<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hobpGFMiRl\">pic.twitter.com\/hobpGFMiRl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Zabihullah (..\u0630\u0628\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u06cc\u062d \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0645 ) (@Zabehulah_M33) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Zabehulah_M33\/status\/1554357900063248384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 2, 2022<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The White House, the Pentagon and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ministry of Interior did not immediately respond to the DCNF\u2019s requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact <a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A U.S. drone strike killed the Al-Qaida terrorist organization\u2019s top official in Kabul, Afghanistan, over the weekend. The Biden administration claimed after the August 2021 withdrawal of U.S. troops that<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":899,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1585012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1585012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/899"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1585012"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1585012\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1585012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1585012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1585012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}