Joe Biden, the President of the United States, claimed on Monday that the al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri had been killed in a US airstrike in Afghanistan over the weekend.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the September 11th attacks, which were planned in part by Egyptian surgeon Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was wanted for $25 million dollars for his capture or death.
An anonymous US official confirmed that the United States carried out a drone strike on Afghanistan’s capital city of Kabul at 6:18 am local time Sunday morning.
Now, “justice has been served, and this terrorist commander is no longer,” President Joe Biden said in remarks from the White House.
A senior administration official informed reporters that US intelligence had “high confidence” that the person was Zawahiri. There were no further casualties.
During a phone conference, the official stated that Zawahiri “continued to represent an active danger to US individuals, interests, and national security.” “His killing will have a substantial impact on al Qaeda’s capacity to carry out operations.”
According to reports, Zawahiri has been in terrible health for some time now.
In August 2021, US soldiers and diplomats departed Afghanistan, and this was the first known US strike in Afghanistan since then.
“International principles” have been violated by this attack according to Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesperson, in a statement.
According to the senior US official, the relentless counterterrorism effort led to the discovery of Zawahiri. U.S. officials detected this year that Zawahiri’s family had moved to a safe home in Kabul, where Zawahiri was also found to be, according to the official.
“We are not aware of Zawahiri ever leaving the safe house once he got at the site,” the official added.
The official claimed that he was still making films from the residence and that some may be revealed after his death.
During the previous several weeks, President Biden gathered officials to review the available intelligence. About July 1, he was briefed by intelligence chiefs on an operation that had been in the works since May and June. Upon receiving an updated report on July 25, he gave the go ahead for the attack as soon as possible.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, Kabul was rocked by an explosion.
“Sherpoor was the site of a rocket attack. Because the residence was deserted, no one was hurt “, according to interior ministry spokesperson Abdul Nafi Takor.
According to a Taliban insider who wanted to remain anonymous, at least one drone flew over Kabul that morning.
At the time of the October 12, 2000, attack on the USS Cole in Yemen that killed 17 American sailors and injured more than 30 more, Zawahiri and other senior al Qaeda members are thought to have been involved in plotting it, according to the Rewards for Justice website.
Following the September 11 attacks on the United States, the Taliban was overthrown in Afghanistan, but bin Laden and Zawahiri escaped capture.
