Calls Unaware Of Al Qaeda Leader's Presence In Kabul, Taliban: Warns US Not To Repeat Attacks In Afghanistan, Holds Investigation

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen. (second from right). (Twitter/@suhailshaeen1)

JAKARTA - The Taliban on Thursday insisted the government had no information about Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri entering and living in the capital Kabul, warning the United States never to repeat attacks on Afghan soil.

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 biggest blow to the group since the death of Osama bin Laden more than a decade ago.

"The government and leadership are not aware of what was claimed, or any traces of it there," Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban's UN-appointed representative, based in Doha, said in a statement.

"An investigation is ongoing now to find out the veracity of the claim," he explained, adding that the results of the investigation would be shared with the public.

Taliban leaders have remained largely silent about Sunday's drone strike, yet to confirm Zawahiri's whereabouts or death in Kabul.

Referring to the drone strike, the Taliban said "if such incidents are repeated again and if Afghan territory is violated, then the responsibility for any consequences will rest with the United States."

Top Taliban leaders have held lengthy discussions about how to respond to US drone strikes, three sources within the group said.

How the Taliban react could have a significant impact, as the group seeks international legitimacy and access to billions of dollars in 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 world's most wanted people.

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 on a US-led troop withdrawal that it will not host other militant groups.

Shaheen said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the name the Taliban use for their country and government, is committed to the agreement signed in the Qatari capital, Doha.