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Taliban, US Spar Over Al-Qaida Presence in Afghanistan

Ayaz Gul

   ISLAMABAD - The Taliban on Thursday rejected a top American general's
   assessment that the al-Qaida leadership is still based in Afghanistan,
   insisting that no foreign fighters linked to the group are present in
   the country.
   The contention, analysts say, underscored a long-running trust deficit
   between the Afghan insurgency and the United States despite their
   February 29 landmark agreement aimed at ending the nearly 19-year-old
   war in Afghanistan.
   "Those Arab or other (foreign) fighters who were based in Afghanistan
   under the banner of al-Qaida during the rule of the Islamic Emirate
   (the Taliban) are no longer here," said a statement published on the
   Taliban's official website.
   The Taliban reaction comes a day after the commander of the U.S.
   Central Command (CENTCOM) said al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was
   still based in the war-ravaged country, though he did not mention him
   by name.
   General Kenneth McKenzie told a forum hosted by the Washington-based
   Middle East Institute on Wednesday that he was not sure if the Taliban
   would be able to prevent groups like al-Qaida from using Afghan soil
   for future terrorist attacks against the United States.

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