The successful U.S. intelligence drone strike that killed longtime al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri at his Kabul safe house has also reignited the debates over President Biden’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan last year and whether the country’s new Taliban leaders are honoring a pledge to rein in terror groups operating on Afghan soil.
Mr. Biden and administration officials say the death of one of the world’s most wanted terrorists underscores the withdrawal’s success because — despite widespread skepticism — U.S. intelligence operatives were able to track and take out al-Zawahri without any American troops on the ground.
But critics, including a number of Republican lawmakers, said al-Zawahri’s ability to set up up operations and evade capture for so long in Afghanistan’s capital highlights fears that the nation is re-emerging as a safe haven for al Qaeda and other terror groups such as Islamic State since the Taliban came to power last year.