Taliban under scrutiny as US kills al-Qaida leader in Kabul

By RAHIM FAIEZ and MUNIR AHMED
Associated Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The U.S. drone strike that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri is intensifying global scrutiny of Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers. They had pledged not to harbor members of the extremist group as they seek desperately needed international aid after overthrowing Kabul’s Western-backed government. Al-Zawahri’s killing — nearly a year after the U.S. military’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan — raises questions whether the Taliban leadership knew one of America’s most-wanted fugitives lived among their elite in a highly secured Kabul neighborhood, once home to top government officials and Westerners. Rumors also persist of unease in the Taliban’s ranks — particularly between the faction known as the Haqqani network, which sheltered al-Zawahri, and other Taliban figures.