Menendez: ‘Al-Qaeda’s Safe Haven Is Still Alive and Well in Afghanistan’

During an interview aired on Tuesday’s broadcast of PBS’ “NJ Spotlight News,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) said that former al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul “confirms that al-Qaeda’s safe haven is still alive and well in Afghanistan. But it also confirms to al-Qaeda operatives that they’re not out of our reach there.”

Menendez said, “Well, the death of al-Zawahiri is a big blow to al-Qaeda. He was its present head. He was the number two to bin Laden. There’s an enormous amount of blood of American lives on al-Zawahiri’s hands. So, I’m glad he has met his maker. So, it also shows that even in the absence of being in Afghanistan as we were, that we have the wherewithal, in Afghanistan or elsewhere, to track down those terrorists who commit acts against the United States. I think it’s a tremendous blow to al-Qaeda, a big victory. I salute the Biden administration for carrying it out. And it shows that we can still reach into countries, including a place like Afghanistan, to pursue our counterterrorism efforts.”

Host Briana Vannozzi then asked, “But what does it say to you, Senator, or signal to you that this terrorist leader was living in a safe house in the capital city, a wealthy area, in a building with links to the Taliban a year after the U.S. pulled troops out of Afghanistan?”

Menendez responded, “Well, it goes to prove that the deal that former President Trump made with the Taliban that they would not permit Afghanistan to be a safe haven for al-Qaeda was a lie. Because you can’t have the leader of al-Qaeda be living in Kabul, and suggest that you don’t know that that was happening. And so, it confirms that al-Qaeda’s safe haven is still alive and well in Afghanistan. But it also confirms to al-Qaeda operatives that they’re not out of our reach there.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett