Senior US officials held their first face-to-face meeting with the Taliban since a US military strike killed Al Qaeda’s leader in Afghanistan in July.
The Biden administration sent CIA Deputy Director David Cohen to the Qatari capital Doha on Saturday to meet with a Taliban delegation led by Abdul Haq Wasiq, head of Taliban intelligence, Fox News confirmed.
The meeting marks the first time the two sides have met in person since a US drone strike this summer killed Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri in Taliban-controlled capital of Afghanistan Kabul, raising questions about its presence. of the terrorist group in the country.
The Taliban said they were unaware of the presence of the Al-Qaeda leader in the country and called the drone attack a “clear violation” of the Doha agreement signed with former President Donald Trump in 2020.
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Taliban fighters escort women marching in support of the Taliban government out of the University of Kabul in Afghanistan.
(Photo AP / Bernat Armangue)
However, under the 2020 Doha agreement signed by the United States and the rebel group, the Taliban have pledged not to allow safe haven for al-Qaeda members or anyone trying to attack the United States.
It was discovered that Al-Zawahri resided in a Kabul shelter that had ties to the deputy leader of the Taliban.
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The fact that Ayman Al Zawahri lived openly in Kabul is a sign that al Qaeda is on the rise, says Sales.
(Maher Attar / Sygma via Getty Images)
According to US officials, the al-Qaeda leader had stayed for months at the home of an aide to Sirajuddin Haqqani, deputy chief of the Taliban, Mullah Haibatallah Akhundzada.
Al-Zawahri was killed by a US drone strike after exiting on a balcony.
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President Joe Biden aboard Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Thursday, Oct.6, 2022, to travel to Poughkeepsie, NY
(AP Photo / Andrew Harnik)
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report
