The Pulse | Safety | South Asia
Rumors of the loss of life of Ayman al-Zawahri have persistently circulated, however a brand new video seems to dispel these rumors.
Osama bin Laden sits together with his adviser al-Zawahiri (proper) throughout an interview with Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir, in November 2001.
Credit score: Wikimedia Commons
A uncommon video has appeared of al-Qaida’s chief praising an Indian Muslim girl who in February defied a ban on hijab carrying, revealing the primary proof in months that he’s nonetheless alive.
Rumors of the loss of life of Ayman al-Zawahri have persistently circulated, however in a video launched Tuesday and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group, the reclusive al-Qaida chief praises Muskan Khan, who defied a ban on the carrying of the hijab in colleges in India’s southwestern state of Karnataka.
She shouted “God Is Nice” as Hindu radical college students jeered at her over the Islamic headband. In March the courtroom in India’s Karnataka state upheld the ban, outraging civil activists and Muslim teams in India and elsewhere.
A earlier video of Zawahri, which circulated on the anniversary final 12 months of 9/11, didn’t reference the Taliban’s August takeover. It did point out the January 1, 2021 assault that focused Russian troops on the sting of the northern Syrian metropolis of Raqqa.
“He might nonetheless be lifeless, although if that’s the case, it could have been sooner or later in or after Jan 2021,” tweeted Rita Katz, SITE’s director, following Zawahri’s 9/11 anniversary video.
From Tuesday’s video there is no such thing as a clear indication of Zawahri’s location. He’s proven in a conventional white head scarf beside a poster praising “the noble girl of India.”
Nonetheless, it raises the specter of al-Qaida having a presence in Afghanistan, and highlights issues over the dedication of the ruling Taliban to struggle terrorist teams and deny them area in Afghanistan.
Zawahri took over management of al-Qaida after the 2011 loss of life of Osama bin Laden, who was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs throughout a daring nighttime raid deep inside Pakistan the place he was hiding. Bin Laden, who masterminded the 9/11 assaults in the US, was discovered within the Pakistani garrison city of Abbottabad, barely 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the capital Islamabad.
Zawahri has been rumored to be in Afghanistan’s northwestern Kunar and Badakhshan provinces on the border with Pakistan. The border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan is lined with inhospitable mountain ranges which have served as redoubts for a lot of terrorist teams within the area.
Amir Rana, govt director of the Pakistan Institute for Peace Research assume tank, mentioned that Zawahri was additionally rumored to be in Pakistan’s southern port metropolis of Karachi, the place lots of the Taliban leaders lengthy maintained properties throughout Afghanistan’s 20-year battle.
“He was even rumored to have died in Karachi,” mentioned Rana, including that no matter his location, Zawahri’s video is definite to trigger complications for the ruling Taliban with the worldwide neighborhood.
Afghanistan’s Taliban have been ousted by a U.S.-led coalition in 2001 for harboring bin Laden. They returned to energy in August final 12 months after a chaotic finish to the U.S. and NATO 20-year battle in Afghanistan.
They are saying they’re adhering to an settlement they signed with the US in 2020 — earlier than taking energy — by which they promised to struggle terrorists. Since returning to energy they’ve repeatedly mentioned that Afghanistan wouldn’t be used as a launching pad for assaults in opposition to different international locations.