About The Death Of Al Qaeda Leader Ayman Al Zawahiri, Russia: Washington Has Not Provided Evidence To The Public

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

JAKARTA - Russia has not promised to confirm the United States' statement regarding the death of Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul, Afghanistan, because Washington has not provided evidence to the public, Deputy Foreign Ministry spokesman Ivan Nechayev said.

"We do not promise to confirm US statements about the death of an al Qaeda leader in Kabul in a drone strike", he said as quoted from TASS on August 12.

"Washington has not provided evidence to the public that the terrorist in question (Ayman) has been killed", the diplomat said.

Nechayev further noted that the first conclusions can be drawn after official comments from the current authorities in Afghanistan.

"So far, they claim to have no information about Ayman al-Zawahiri being in the Afghan capital", the diplomat explained.

He also emphasized that the United States' aggressive actions in infiltrating Afghanistan's sovereign territory raised several serious questions.

"For example, who provided the airspace for the airstrikes in Kabul, and who would be held responsible if there were civilian casualties in such an act?", asked Nechaev.

"We believe that countering terrorism requires a consolidated effort and a systemic approach, without an attempt to use real threats to cover up one's own geopolitical ambitions, policy benefits without taking into account international law and the national sovereignty of other countries", the diplomat said.

Previously, the United States claimed to have killed Ayman in an attack in Kabul, with minimal damage to the site some time ago.

US President Joe Biden's senior administration official said Ayman, 71, was on the balcony of a three-story house in Kabul, Afghanistan, when two Hellfire missiles killed him shortly after dawn.

It was the first known attack by the US on a target in Afghanistan since Washington withdrew its troops from the country on August 31 last year, days after the Taliban returned to power.

The US operation involved months of intelligence work to track the al Zawahiri family to Kabul and identify targets, said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

"This mission has really taken shape over the last six, seven months", Kirby told CNN.