MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/. Washington has not yet presented evidence to the public that Al-Qaeda (outlawed in Russia) leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in Kabul, Russian Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Ivan Nechayev said at a briefing on Thursday.
"We do not undertake to confirm the reliability of US statements about the elimination of the Al-Qaeda chief in Kabul in a drone strike. Washington has not presented any evidence to the public that the terrorist in question was eliminated," the diplomat said.
Nechayev noted that the first conclusions could be drawn after official comments from the current authorities in Afghanistan. "So far, they state that they have no information about Ayman al-Zawahiri being in the Afghan capital," the diplomat added.
He also stressed that aggressive actions from the US Air Force that intruded into the sovereign territory of Afghanistan invited a number of serious questions. "For example, who provided the airspace for an airstrike on Kabul, and who will be responsible in case of civilian casualties in such actions?" Nechayev asked.
"We believe that countering terrorism requires consolidated efforts and a systemic approach without attempts to use the real threat to cover up one’s own geopolitical ambitions. Washington, judging by the incident, prefers to act as it pleases, following strictly the path of its own foreign policy benefits without taking into account international law and the national sovereignty of other states," the diplomat summed up.
Last week, US authorities announced that Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a US special operation on July 31.
"At <…> 6:18 am Kabul time on July 31, the United States undertook a precision counterterrorism operation in Kabul, Afghanistan, at the president's direction," a high-ranking US administration official said, adding that the operation "targeted and killed" the current leader of Al Qaeda Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was Osama bin Laden deputy during the September, 11 attacks and his successor in 2011.
According to the US administration, al-Zawahiri continued to pose an active threat to "US persons, interests and national security."
The US administration confirmed that the US had not notified the Taliban about its intention to hold the operation in Kabul. During the operation, a drone launched two Hellfire missiles at the house where al-Zawahiri was staying. The Taliban, for their part, condemned the US actions, saying they violated international law and the Doha agreements.