Haqqani family members were killed in US strike on al-Qaeda chief, says Afghan envoy
India Today
According to Ambassador Mohammad Zahir Aghbar, family members of the Haqqani group were also killed in the US drone strike on al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a drone strike by the US in Afghanistan on August 2. Ambassador Mohammad Zahir Aghbar, the Afghan Envoy to Tajikistan, said family members of Haqqanis were also killed in the US strike.
The Haqqani network is an Islamist terror outfit founded by Jalaluddin Haqqani, who emerged as the insurgent commander during the anti-Soviet war.
"According to the reports we have from Kabul, certain family members of the Haqqani group were killed in the US strike. That house belonged to Haqqanis and they have left Kabul," Ambassador Mohammad Zahir Aghbar told India Today.
READ | Who was Ayman al-Zawahri killed in US drone strike in Afghanistan
The multi-storey bungalow in Kabul, where the Al-Qaeda leader was hiding, was owned by a close aide of the interior minister of Afghanistan, Sirajuddin Haqqani.
According to the Afghan envoy, Sirajuddin Haqqani and other top leaders have left safe houses in Kabul and have moved somewhere else, adding that several terrorist groups are still present in Afghanistan.
"The killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri is not important for the people of Afghanistan. What is important for us is for the international community to know that terrorism is growing in Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban," he said.
