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The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) – the name used by the Taliban when referring to its government, is probing the US claim that al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a planned drone strike in Kabul, Suhail Shaheen, the designated Taliban** representative to the United Nations, said on Thursday.
The official said neither the government nor the Taliban leadership were aware of what was being claimed by the Biden administration. The Taliban have also not found "any trace there," Shaheen added.
US President Joe Biden said on Monday that Zawahiri was killed in a "precision" strike in Kabul where the terrorist mastermind had, as Washington claimed, moved to "reunite with members of his immediate family."
"Investigation is underway now to find out about veracity of the claim (both- that Taliban was sheltering Al Zawahiri and also the US claim that Al Zawahiri was killed)," Shaheen said while underlining the IEA will share the findings of the investigation with the public.
John Kirby, National Security Coordinator for Strategic Communications, acknowledged on Tuesday that the US does not possess DNA confirmation of the killing of Zawahiri.
The Taliban official emphasized that the IEA is committed to the Doha agreement, the 2020 deal that hasn't reached the public domain.
Washington had accused the Taliban of "grossly" violating the agreement by "hosting and sheltering the leader of al-Qaeda in Kabul."
The news about the alleged presence and killing of the al-Qaeda ringleader came days after a Taliban official hoped to obtain global recognition at a recent meeting on Afghanistan in Uzbekistan, which was attended by delegates from 20 countries.
In Tashkent, the IEA also held a meeting with the Biden administration, seeking access to Afghanistan's billions of dollars which are frozen in US banks. The Biden administration had frozen over $7 billion of Afghan money following NATO's withdrawal from Afghanistan last August.
Al-Zawahiri had been in charge of the terror group since 2011. According to the US authorities, he carved out a trail of murder and violence against American citizens and service members.
*Al-Qaeda is a terror organization banned in Russia.
**Taliban is under UN sanctions for terrorist activities.