Unidentified Drones Spotted Over Kabul as Taliban Confirm Patrols

DID Press: Local sources and some Taliban officials have reported increased patrols by unidentified drones over Kabul and several other Afghan provinces, but no information has so far been released about the identity of the drones, their country of origin or the purpose of the flights.

According to reports, drone activity increased in Kabul and other areas following the release of a new video featuring a man whom al-Qaeda identifies as Hamza bin Laden, the son of Osama bin Laden.

Al-Sahab, al-Qaeda’s media arm, released a propaganda video marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Part of the video includes footage attributed to Hamza bin Laden. In the footage, a man wearing traditional Afghan clothing and a turban is seen in front of a mud-brick wall, although the location where the footage was recorded has not been confirmed. Recent reports have described the footage as an apparent appearance by Hamza, who had previously been reported killed in a U.S. counterterrorism operation in 2019.

However, no direct evidence has so far been presented linking the release of the video to the increased drone flights over Kabul.

Previous United Nations Security Council reports have documented the continued presence and activity of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. The United States has also said since the withdrawal of its forces in 2021 that it retains the capability to conduct “over-the-horizon” counterterrorism operations.

On July 31, 2022, the United States carried out a drone strike in Kabul’s Sherpur area that killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, then the leader of al-Qaeda.