Pakistan recieves hefty sum of money to allow US airstrikes in Afghanistan, says Taliban

The United States Air Force carried out a precision airstrike through an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in Afghanistan on July 31 in its efforts to counter the persistent terrorism in the region. The airstrike killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the deputy of Osama bin Laden and his successor as the leader of Al-Qaeda.   

In the aftermath of the US drone operation that killed the chief of Al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Taliban claimed that Pakistan received a whopping sum of money from the United States for allowing the US airstrikes in the regions of Afghanistan. Taliban has further stated that they have substantial evidence to back their claims, reported Khaama Press.   

Furthermore, the Taliban has claimed that the US drones that conducted the airstrike in Afghanistan to kill Zawahiri made their way through Pakistan’s airspace.  

Taliban warns Pakistan not to meddle with Afghanistan  

Commemorating World Tourism Day, the Political Deputy of the Taliban-led Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai claimed that Pakistan received millions of US dollars to concede to the demands by the United States of using Pakistan’s airspace, reported Khaama Press.   

While claiming to have in possession the videos as evidence to back its claims, Stanekzai stated that the evidence proves how Islamabad has given access to its airspace to Washington.  

Stanekzai further warned Islamabad, as the nation is currently undergoing a severe economic crisis, that even as the situation remains grim in Pakistan, it should not exploit Afghanistan to alleviate its economic turmoil.  

Previously, Mullah Yaqoub Mujahid, Taliban-appointed Minister of Defense had made similar accusations against Islamabad for allowing Pakistan’s airspace and territory to be used by the United States to conduct drone operations.   

Pakistan and the Taliban engage in blame-game  

Responding to the Taliban's claims that Pakistan acted in collusion with the United States for carrying out the airstrikes, Islamabad claimed that these were merely "conjectural allegations", and a violation of the norms of responsible diplomatic conduct.  

Ayman al-Zawahiri was one of the masterminds of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks against the United States and had continued to instruct his followers to target the United States.   

Stating that "Justice has been delivered," The President of the United States, Joe Biden announced the neutralization of Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri by a US airstrike.   

"He will never again, never again, allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he is gone and we're going to make sure that nothing else happens," Biden said in a televised address to the nation. The airstrike was conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and was carried out through an Air Force drone. According to an official, al-Zawahiri was the only person killed in the strike and none of his family members was injured.  

A senior US official noted that Zawahiri's presence in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan was a "clear violation" of a deal the Taliban had signed with the United States in Doha in 2020 that paved the way for the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.