The leader of al-Qa’ida, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is with a small group of terrorist fighters in eastern Afghanistan and poses a threat to the peace deal signed between the US and the Taliban, the head of the US Central Command says.
General Kenneth McKenzie cast doubt on whether the Taliban had ended links with al-Qa’ida in Afghanistan, which could delay the timetable for reducing the number of US troops in the country to zero by May next year.
A key part of the deal signed with Taliban negotiators in Qatar on February 29 was that the insurgents gave up all support for al-Qa’ida and other terrorist groups considered a threat to the US.