US Drone Kills Al Qaeda Leader In Kabul Afghanistan, Taliban Elite Holds Meeting, Discuss What?

Osama bin Laden (left) with Ayman al Zawahiri. (Wikimedia Commons/Hamid Mir)

JAKARTA - Afghan Taliban leaders held discussions on Wednesday, discussing how to respond to the United States drone strike in Kabul, which was claimed to have killed Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri.

The United States killed Zawahiri with a missile fired from a drone as he stood on the balcony of his Kabul hideout on Sunday, US officials said. The Taliban themselves have not confirmed Zawahiri's death

Officials from the Taliban, a longtime ally of Al Qaeda, initially confirmed Sunday's drone strike, but said the house that was hit was empty.

"There is a meeting at a very high level over whether they should react to the drone strike, and if they decide to do so, then what is the appropriate way," a Taliban leader holding a key position in Kabul told Reuters. .

The official, who said there had been two days of lengthy leadership discussions, declined to be named. He did not confirm that Zawahiri was in the house that was struck by the missile.

Another Taliban official confirmed the high-level meeting but said he did not know what was being discussed and he did not believe Zawahiri was in the house.

Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban's designated UN representative, who is based in Doha, told reporters he had received no news of the Taliban's position.

"I am waiting for details and reaction from Kabul," he told reporters in a message.

How the Taliban react can have a significant impact, as the group seeks international legitimacy and access to the billions of dollars of their frozen funds following their defeat to the US-backed government a year ago.

Zawahiri, an Egyptian doctor, was closely involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and is one of the most wanted people in the world.

His death in Kabul raises questions about whether he received protection from the Taliban, who have assured the United States as part of a 2020 agreement, of a US-led troop withdrawal that they will not host other militant groups.