This is a carefully worded statement.
The Taliban said on Thursday that they had "no information" about the presence in Afghanistan of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al-Qaeda, whose death US President Joe Biden announced in a drone strike. in Kabul, the Afghan capital.
The Taliban's response on Thursday neither confirmed the presence in Afghanistan nor acknowledged the death of the al-Qaeda leader, but it cited the name Zawahiri for the first time since the US president's announcement on Monday.
The assassination is the biggest blow to al-Qaeda since US special forces killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011.
A “thorough and serious investigation”
Ayman al-Zawahiri's presence in Kabul calls into question the value of the Taliban's promise not to harbor terrorist groups in Afghanistan.
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has no information on the arrival and presence in Kabul of Ayman al-Zawahiri," says an official statement from the Taliban government.
The Kabul government has "asked the intelligence services to carry out a thorough and serious investigation into the incident", it added.
Untraceable for more than ten years, the 71-year-old Egyptian was considered one of the masterminds of the attacks of September 11, 2001, which killed nearly 3,000 people in the United States.
“Firm” condemnation of the Taliban
US President Joe Biden announced live on television the death of Zawahiri, killed Sunday morning by an American drone strike in Kabul.
A senior US administration official said the man was on the balcony of a three-storey house in the Afghan capital when he was targeted by two Hellfire missiles after dawn.
The house targeted by the strike is in Sherpur, one of Kabul's most upscale neighborhoods, with several villas occupied by senior officials and Taliban commanders.
“We strongly condemn once again the fact that America has invaded our territory and violated all international principles.
If such action is repeated, the responsibility for all consequences will rest with the United States of America,” the statement added.
'No threat'
The Taliban reiterate in their statement that there is "no threat" to any country from Afghan soil.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that by "hosting and sheltering" Zawahiri, the Taliban "grossly violated the Doha agreement" which provided for the departure of American troops from Afghanistan.
As part of the deal, the Taliban promised not to let Afghanistan become a launching pad for international jihad again, but experts say the group never severed ties with al-Qaeda.
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Afghanistan
Kabul
Terrorism
Al-Qaeda