A senior White House official has criticized the Taliban, saying they harbored Al-Qaeda's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan.

US National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby spoke to reporters on Tuesday.

This comes a day after the US government announced that al-Zawahiri was killed in a US drone strike in the Afghan capital Kabul.

He was involved in the September 11 terror attacks. He assumed leadership of Al-Qaeda after US forces killed Osama bin Laden in 2011.

Kirby said the Taliban harbored al-Zawahiri and his family and that after his death, they tried to cover up the evidence of hiding the Al-Qaeda leader.

He accused the Taliban of harboring al-Zawahiri in violation of the Doha Agreement.

The US government and the Taliban signed the agreement in 2020 to bring peace to Afghanistan.
The deal commits Washington to withdraw US military forces from Afghanistan. The Taliban promised to sever ties with Al-Qaeda.

The Taliban regained power last August and established the interim government. But Western countries have not recognized it, citing its lack of respect for women's rights, among others.

Kirby said the Taliban "claim they want to open up and be part of the international community." He said, "They claim they want financing," and "if that's what they really want," they should comply with the agreement.