Web Desk (LTN NEWS): A US strike in Afghanistan over the weekend killed Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, US President Joe Biden said on Monday.
An Egyptian doctor named Zawahiri, who had a $25 million price on his head, helped plan the attacks on September 11, 2001, that killed almost 3,000 people.
Under the condition that they not be named, US officials said that the US used a drone strike in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, at 6:18 a.m. local time on Sunday.
Biden said from the White House, “Justice has been done, and this terrorist leader is no longer with us.” We never give up.”
A top administration official told reporters that US intelligence had “high confidence” that the man who was killed was Zawahiri. There were no other deaths.
“Zawahiri is an active threat to US individuals, interests, and national security,” the official stated on a conference call. “His death is a big blow to al Qaeda and will make it harder for them to do their work.”
In the past few years, there have been several rumors about Zawahiri’s death, and he has been said to be sick for a long time.
His death makes people wonder if the Taliban gave Zawahiri a safe place to live after they took over Kabul in August 2021. The official said that the top Taliban leaders knew he was in the city.
Since US troops and diplomats left Afghanistan in August 2021, this is the first known US strike inside the country.
In a statement, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, confirmed that an attack had happened and strongly condemned it as a violation of “international principles.”
The top US official said that they found Zawahiri because they worked hard to stop terrorism. The official said that the US found out this year that Zawahiri’s wife, daughter, and children had moved to a safe house in Kabul. They then found out that Zawahiri was also there.
“We don’t know if Zawahiri ever left the safe house after he got there,” the official said. Several times, he was found on the balcony, where he was eventually hit. He kept making videos from the house, and an official said that some of them might be shown after he died.
In the last few weeks, Biden brought together officials to look at the information. In May and June, he was kept up to date, and on July 1, intelligence leaders told him about a planned operation. On July 25, he got a new report and gave permission to strike as soon as a chance came up.
Early on Sunday, there was a loud explosion that could be heard all over Kabul.
“In Sherpoor, a rocket hit a house. Since the house was empty, no one was hurt “The Interior Ministry’s spokesman, Abdul Nafi Takor, said earlier.
One Taliban source, who asked to remain anonymous, said that at least one drone had been seen flying over Kabul that morning.
The Rewards for Justice Website said that Zawahiri is thought to have planned the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen on October 12, 2000, along with other senior al-Qaeda members. This attack killed 17 US sailors and hurt more than 30 others.
He was charged in the US for his part in the bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania on August 7, 1998. These bombings killed 224 people and hurt more than 5,000 others.
Both bin Laden and Zawahiri escaped capture when the US and its allies overthrew the Taliban government in Afghanistan in late 2001, after the September 11 attacks on the US.
