EDITORIAL - Giving terror shelter

In a previous editorial we mentioned that the Taliban, after just waltzing back into power in Afghanistan again following a mismanaged pullout by western forces last year, may revert to its old practice of giving aid and shelter to terrorist groups.

There are indications this may be coming true.

Last Sunday, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, the number one most wanted terrorist in the world after the death of Osama Bin Laden, was killed in a drone strike initiated by the US.

Al-Zawahiri is said to be one of the major planners of the 9/11 attacks. He was also named the leader of Al Qaeda following the death of Bin Laden in 2011.

But Al-Zawahiri was not killed in a hidden mountain camp in Tora Bora or in a heavily-fortified compound like Bin Laden. According to sources, Al-Zawahiri was blown to bits as he relaxed in the balcony of a house in a downtown Kabul neighborhood described as affluent, as affluent gets in that part of the world.

There is no doubt the Taliban knew who Al-Zawahiri was, where he was, and what he was doing there. In fact, reports indicate that after the attack they quickly evacuated his family, whom he had come there to meet.

For sure the Taliban will not take this insult lying down, but because they cannot strike back at the US --at least not at this time anyway-- it’s more likely that they will take their frustration out on the population of Afghanistan, particularly sectors like the minorities and the women.

This development raises the question: If the Taliban knew where Al-Zawahiri was, who else are they protecting? And if they are protecting individuals are they perhaps also sheltering entire groups that have the same ideology?

Again, this is a cause for concern because we don’t need any more terrorist groups rising out of countries like Afghanistan where the current leadership is more than willing to look the other way. It is groups like these that later have an impact on the world, and not in a good way.