Taliban spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi responded to a direct question posed to him in the context of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with a general statement that attacks targeting civilians should be condemned everywhere in the world.
The response attributed to Balkhi does not explicitly condemn the September 11, 2001, attacks by naming them. It also contains no direct assessment of responsibility for the attacks or of al-Qaeda's role.
The Taliban's previous position
Two different elements appeared together in the Taliban's statements following the 9/11 attacks: condemnation of the attacks and denial of Osama bin Laden's responsibility, or demands for evidence supporting such accusations. The United States accused the Taliban government at the time of providing bin Laden with refuge in Afghanistan and refusing to hand him over.
The U.S.-led military operation began in Afghanistan on October 7, 2001. In a statement issued on September 10, 2012, the Taliban argued that the 9/11 attacks were a pretext used by the United States to launch the war in Afghanistan. The statement focused on the U.S. military intervention that followed rather than condemning the attacks themselves.
The Taliban's statements in 2019 also argued that there was no evidence that al-Qaeda was responsible for the 9/11 attacks. The group's past position thus combined condemnation of the attacks, refusal to acknowledge responsibility and criticism of the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan.
The limits of Balkhi's response
Balkhi's remarks use general language condemning attacks targeting civilians. However, the statement cannot be understood as an acknowledgment by the Taliban that al-Qaeda carried out the 9/11 attacks or as an explicit condemnation of the attacks.
The interview's timing, in the context of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, brought the issue back into focus alongside the Taliban's previous statements.
Because the full context of the question and answer and a word-for-word transcript of the remarks have not been independently established, it cannot be concluded that the statement represents a definitive change in the Taliban's historical position on 9/11.
