Afghanistan (MNN) — On Sunday morning, an explosion shook a street in Kabul, Afghanistan. The U.S. had just conducted a drone strike that killed the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, a man who helped plan the 9/11 attacks.
The CIA carried out the operation. According to officials, Zawahiri was standing on the balcony of his villa when the drone fired two missiles.
Zawahiri, 71, took command of al-Qaeda in 2011 after the death of Osama bin Laden.
Taliban
The Taliban sheltered him in a safe house, and residents reported al-Qaeda fighters coming in and out of the neighborhood.
Living under the shadow of this alliance puts Afghan Christians in great danger.
Shoaib Ebadi spoke with The Voice of the Martyrs Canada, saying, “The Taliban had this big meeting not long ago. And basically, the decision was anyone who fights against their regime, they consider them an infidel, or they have to be put to death.”
Afghan Christians
Despite the resistance, Ebadi predicts huge growth in the Afghan church over the next 5-10 years.
He works with several other Afghan Christians, bringing the hope of Jesus into the country via tv channels and social media. “During our program, we teach the life of Jesus. Sometimes we think of Afghanistan as an Old Testament era. It’s always fighting, always revenge. What we do is teach to Afghan people how they can know Jesus, how they can understand Jesus’ teaching.”
Drone strikes won’t get rid of the extremism problem. Ebadi says only the love of Jesus can do that. “That’s the big thing that can change the hearts of people inside Afghanistan.”
The header photo shows Ayman al-Zawahiri (pictured right) sitting with Osama Bin Laden in November 2001. (Photo courtesy of Hamid Mir, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
