Afghan Protesters Denounce US Violation of Airspace


TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Anti-US protesters held rallies across Afghanistan on August 5 to denounce the recent US drone strike that Washington says was aimed at killing al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

The largest gatherings were reported in major cities, such as Jalalabad, Kabul, and Mazar-i-Sharif.

Protest venues included mosques, government buildings, and major roadways, in which hundreds of people attended.

Demonstrators also chanted slogans against Pakistan’s inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and urged the country not to provide its airspace to carry out attacks against Afghanistan.

The United States confirmed the killing of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone attack in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul.

Al-Zawahiri, who had a $25 million US reward on his head, is regarded as one of the masterminds behind the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States. He had taken over the armed group after the US killing of the then al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011.

Many of the demonstrators called Washington's claim of killing al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in an airstrike a big "lie."