Brett Velicovich: US won't forget Americans killed by hands of al Qaeda, ISIS
Former U.S. Army Special Operations Brett Velicovich on the future of al Qaeda following the drone strike of the leader of the terrorist organization
The Washington Post editorial board tied President Biden's chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal to Ayman al-Zawahri's presence in the Afghan capital before he was killed by a U.S. drone strike.
"This is what Mr. Biden’s disorderly withdrawal has wrought, the return of a Taliban that presents old risks and will certainly bring new dangers to the people of Afghanistan and beyond. At least in the case of Zawahiri, justice was done," the board wrote.
The board also alleged Biden's withdrawal created a haven for other al Qaeda operatives despite the Taliban's promises to refrain from hosting them.
"What was Zawahiri doing on Afghan soil in the first place, sheltered in a building owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader and interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani?" the board asked.
US TAKES OUT AL QAEDA LEADER AYMAN AL-ZAWAHRI IN ‘SUCCESSFUL’ AFGHANISTAN COUNTERTERRORISM OPERATION
The editorial noted his presence in Kabul indicates the al Qaeda successor to Usama Bin Laden received Taliban protection and asked whether more operatives could be harbored in the Taliban-controlled capital as well.
In this Friday, March 1, 2013, file photo, anti-Syrian President Bashar Assad protesters hold the Jabhat al-Nusra flag, as they shout slogans during a demonstration, in Kafranbel, Idlib province, northern Syria. (The Associated Press)
"How many more al-Qaeda operatives are nestled in Kabul’s residential districts? After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. goal was to deny al-Qaeda a haven in Afghanistan. Now, it is back — and seemingly safe," the board wrote.
"This was a blatant violation of the Doha agreement that led to last year’s withdrawal, under which the Taliban pledged to neither cooperate with international terrorist groups nor host them or their individual members."
In this 1998 file photo made available March 19, 2004, Ayman al-Zawahri, left, poses for a photograph with Osama bin Laden in Khost, Afghanistan. (AP)
The article goes on to cite the developments that have spawned since the U.S. withdrew in August 2021, writing that "upon the exit of the United States last year, the Taliban vowed that, within interpretation of sharia law, there would not be discrimination against women, which was brutal and rampant before."
However, the opposite proved to be true. The return of the Taliban also signaled a return to patriarchal and Islamic extremist policies, including beating women for lacking male escorts and for violating societal dress codes and refusing to grant women access to education and key decision-making areas.
President Biden is shown on July 1, 2022, during a meeting "to discuss the counterterrorism operation to take out Ayman al-Zawahri," the White House says. (White House)
"Zawahiri’s presence is another sign — among many — that the new Taliban regime is no better and is perhaps worse than the one that ruled during the 1990s," the editorial asserted.
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In addition to the list of rampant human rights violations taking place in the era of revived Taliban rule, writers also noted the Afghan economy is in "free fall."
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