In 30 days, it will be a year since the United States pulled out of Afghanistan.

The Taliban, an Islamist group that holds real power in the area, is in charge of security, but it has also been pointed out that it is connected to the international terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, and there is growing concern that it will become a hotbed of terrorism again.

On August 30, 2018, the U.S. military completed the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, ending a 20-year military operation called "the longest war in U.S. history."



In Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the US military, the Taliban, who held the real power, is responsible for security, but the hostile extremist organization IS = Islamic State is intensifying attacks on Shia Muslim mosques and residents. Terrorism is not over.



Under such circumstances, on the 1st of this month, the US government announced that Ayman Zawahiri, the leader of the international terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, who was deeply involved in the terrorist attacks in 2001 that triggered the US military operation in Afghanistan. He announced that he had been killed in Kabul, the capital where he was hiding.



In connection with this, the United States and other countries have pointed out that the Taliban was hiding Zawahiri, and that the connection with al-Qaeda continues even now, and Afghanistan will become a hotbed of terrorism again. There are also growing concerns that

Al-Qaeda leader Al-Zawahiri's murder scene remains tense

About a month later, Taliban fighters are still blockading the area in central Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, where the United States allegedly killed al-Qaeda leader Zawahiri with a drone. I have a feeling.



The media are not allowed to interview or shoot in the vicinity, and the Taliban explains why they are ``preserving evidence for investigation''.



A man living in the area said, ``On the day of the drone attack, I heard a sound like an explosion, and when I went outside, white smoke was rising. I couldn't do it, but I can't even get close now."

Taliban spokesman 'cut ties with Al-Qaeda'

Mujahid, a senior spokesman for Afghanistan's Islamist Taliban interim government, told NHK in Kabul that the US had killed al-Qaeda leader al-Zawahiri in Kabul. He said, ``I didn't know he was staying,'' and denied that he had any relationship with al-Qaeda.



Mujahid said he was investigating how Zawahiri came to Kabul, but said, "Everything where the attack took place was reduced to ashes and the body was unrecognizable." He claimed that he had not yet been able to confirm whether he had done so.



After that, "Afghanistan has many mountainous areas and it may be possible if al-Qaeda wants to hide. However, we have promised the United States and other countries that our land will not be used by terrorists again and that we will not allow it." Al-Qaeda He reiterated that he had severed relations with Afghanistan and denied the concerns of the international community that Afghanistan would once again become a hotbed of terrorism.

Experts say Afghanistan could become hotbed of terror again

Akhtar Ali, a counter-terrorism expert familiar with the situation in Afghanistan, said, "The Taliban have been accused by international organizations such as the United Nations of their ties to al-Qaeda, but even after they seized power, they still wanted to control Afghan land for terrorists. We have not been able to keep our agreement with the United States not to use it," he said, suggesting that the Taliban may still be closely connected to al-Qaeda.



He also warned that Afghanistan is in danger of becoming a hotbed of terrorism again, saying, "If the Taliban does not properly govern, terrorists will proliferate."



On top of that, Mr. Ali said, ``The Taliban must prove by their own actions against the criticism of the international community.If they allow terrorists to use the land, the region will become unstable.'' He pointed out that the Taliban should sever ties with terrorist organizations and cooperate with the international community, including neighboring countries.