By Neelam Rahim

On Tuesday, the US announced the assassinations of al-Qaida head Ayman al-Zawahiri, a move welcomed by Saudi Arabia and condemned by the ruling Taliban.

Joining the discussion with Radio Islam International on this week’s Media Lens, analyst Ebrahim Deen said the Taliban did renegotiate the agreement, which said that the Taliban wouldn’t allow for the plotting of attacks on America in Afghanistan.

According to Ebrahim, they have no reason to say al-Zawahiri was doing that, so it does seem as if the strike happened and he was assassinated. It was a severe breach of sovereignty and national law in terms of targeted assassinations and the following of due process. These are some of the main questions seen when looking at the assassination.

Regarding the media coverage, Ebrahim said the issues regarding militants include no due process nor the following of sovereignty.

“It’s just the assassination of an al-Qaida head, not how it was carried out or why.”

Ebrahim further tells Radio Islam that a severe consequence of the global war and terror stems from people’s beliefs, including the narrative that shaped and emerged from it. The narrative still viewed by the people is that a militant doesn’t and shouldn’t have any rights.

According to Ebrahim, there is a lack of focus on wondering and trying to figure out why and what are militants cause.

He says in al-Qaidah, its leading cause of military or main opposition was not necessarily the US.

People like al-Zawahiri joined the group mainly because of opposition to the Israeli Occupation. In Egypt, the suppressing of the ability for political descent. These issues mean groups such as al-Qaida will remain popular despite the lack of understanding, at least until civilians and citizens in these countries can express themselves without being jailed, he added.

Listen to the full interview on Radio Islam’s podcast below.