Afghanistan International has obtained the names of Taliban officials involved in transporting and sheltering Ayman al-Zawahiri, the former leader of al-Qaeda, in Kabul.
According to the information, Ayman al-Zawahiri was brought to Kabul by Qari Khalid Hikmat, a native of Kandahar and the head of the 08 department of the Directorate General of Intelligence (GDI), the main Taliban intelligence agency
Following the publication of a report by the Emirati news outlet Al Akhbar, Afghanistan International continued investigating the case of the al-Qaeda leader's death. Sources told Afghanistan International that Khalid had travelled from Kabul to Quetta city in Baluchistan province of Pakistan to relocate his family to Afghanistan. In Quetta, he was informed that al-Zawahiri was ill and required urgent medical attention. Khalid left Quetta without his family and went to the remote district of Baghran in Helmand province.
Before the fall of Kabul in 2021, Khalid had been in charge of al-Qaeda and Taliban communications in the southwestern region from Quetta city in Pakistan. According to reports, Agha Mohammad Hakim, the current Taliban governor of Panjshir, and Qari Dawood Afghani, a member of the group, were among the few Taliban officials aware of al-Zawahiri's presence in Kabul. Qari Dawood, a close associate of the prominent Taliban figure Mullah Mohammad Yasser, along with these officials, secretly met al-Zawahiri and his host, Qari Hikmat, immediately after the al-Qaeda leader was brought to Kabul.
Who Hosted Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul?
It has been reported that al-Zawahiri was transferred to Kabul to access medical care, as he suffered from heart and kidney diseases. The al-Qaeda leader was moved from Pakistan to southern Afghanistan and then to Kabul. According to information, Qari Hikmat kept al-Zawahiri in two different locations in Kabul.
Initially, he was housed in a safe house belonging to the Taliban intelligence agency. However, after drones were spotted in the area, Hikmat decided to move the al-Qaeda leader to a house near Alauddin Junction in Darulaman road in western Kabul, close to the former parliament and the Russian embassy.
During al-Zawahiri's stay near Alauddin Junction, Taliban’s Interior Ministry intelligence officers became aware of his presence in the capital. This discovery was prompted when Qari Hikmat, installed surveillance cameras at the al-Zawahiri's residence, arousing the suspicion of an intelligence official from the Taliban's Interior Ministry.
Late at night, these officers informed Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban's Interior Minister, about al-Zawahiri's presence in Kabul. Haqqani, who was awakened from sleep, was shocked. He contacted his brothers, Aziz Haqqani and Qari Hamza Haqqani, to inquire if they had played any role in bringing al-Zawahiri to Kabul. When both brothers denied any knowledge of the transfer, Haqqani decided to move the ailing al-Qaeda leader to a third location in the diplomatic district of Wazir Akbar Khan in Kabul.
Ultimately, the United States discovered al-Zawahiri's hideout and killed him in an airstrike on July 31, 2022. Sources involved in the al-Zawahiri case report that several hidden cameras were found in the bedroom and kitchen of the house where he was staying.
What Happened After al-Zawahiri's Death?
Following al-Zawahiri's death, Agha Mohammad Hakim was transferred from Nuristan province to Panjshir province. Qari Dawood Afghani, another Taliban member, was appointed as the Attaché for Refugee affairs at the Afghan Embassy in Tehran by Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, Sirajuddin Haqqani's uncle. Previously, he had travelled to Iran to maintain contact with Saif al-Adel. Iranian authorities, however, refused to approve his appointment and did not allow him to relocate to Tehran.
Taliban sources said that after al-Zawahiri's killing, 200 members of the group were arrested, but most were later released. Qari Hikmat was among those detained; he spent two years in prison before being recently released and moved to Pakistan.
Additionally, Mahmud Shah Habibi, an Afghan-American citizen, was arrested on August 10, 2022. Habibi worked as a consultant for a telecommunications company in Kabul. The Taliban did not disclose the reason for his arrest, but it is speculated that it may be connected to al-Zawahiri’s case.
The Taliban is currently seeking a prisoner exchange with the United States. Representatives from both sides have discussed this matter in a third Doha meeting. Three American citizens are in Taliban custody. The Taliban seek the release of Rahim Afghani, an aide to former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, currently held at Guantanamo.
Where Was al-Zawahiri Buried?
After al-Zawahiri's death, his body was taken to the 300-bed hospital in Kabul, where Hamza, the Taliban's police chief in Kabul, and Zainullah, Sirajuddin Haqqani’s chief of staff, guarded the al-Qaeda leader's body for three days. It is reported that one of Sirajuddin Haqqani's young sons was also killed in the airstrike on al-Zawahiri's house.
Following al-Zawahiri's death, most Taliban officials went into hiding. Sirajuddin Haqqani disappeared from public view for two weeks. Later, the Taliban claimed he had gone to Panjwai district in Kandahar, to attend the funeral of a Taliban commander. Sources now suggest that Haqqani attended the burial and funeral of his son and Ayman al-Zawahiri in Paktia province.
Sources indicate that the Taliban leader was buried in the Zadran Shwak area in Paktia province. Sirajuddin Haqqani, the son of former jihadist leader Jalaluddin Haqqani, hails from Paktia province. The Haqqanis belong to the Zadran tribe, primarily residing in eastern Afghanistan.
Al-Qaeda Officials Accompanying al-Zawahiri
During al-Zawahiri's secret journey from Pakistan to southern Afghanistan and then Kabul, he was accompanied by Hamza al-Ghamdi, a senior al-Qaeda member. Al-Ghamdi oversaw al-Qaeda operations in southern and eastern Afghanistan and Pakistan's tribal areas. He was last seen in North Waziristan, Pakistan.
Al-Ghamdi speaks Pashto fluently and was added to the US terrorism blacklist in June of this year, with a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.
Denial of al-Zawahiri's Presence and Death in Kabul
Al-Zawahiri's killing in Kabul was a painful and embarrassing moment for the Taliban, as the group had pledged in the Doha Agreement on February 29, 2020, not to harbour al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups in Afghanistan. However, less than a year after the Taliban regained power, the suspect behind the September 11 attacks and a top US wanted terrorist was found in the heart of Kabul.
The Taliban were alarmed by al-Zawahiri's death, fearing that the US might retaliate with further airstrikes. As a result, Taliban officials denied al-Zawahiri's presence and death in Kabul.
The Taliban were also concerned that al-Qaeda might confirm al-Zawahiri's death and announce a new leader. Therefore, they sent a message to Saif al-Adel in Iran, requesting him not to confirm al-Zawahiri's death or announce his successor. In their message, the Taliban referred to the historical relationship between the two organisations and praised al-Qaeda's military and financial support during the war. However, the Taliban made it clear that Osama bin Laden's presence in Afghanistan led to their regime's collapse in 2001, and they were not ready to risk the fall of the Taliban again due to al-Zawahiri's presence.
Saif al-Adel reportedly responded that he understood the Taliban's position and said, "It was al-Zawahiri's wish to be martyred in this way." Till now, the Taliban has remained silent about al-Zawahiri's death.
