WASHINGTON (Transatlantic Today) – President Joe Biden declared on Monday that Ayman al-Zawahiri, the head of al-Qaeda, had been killed by a drone attack over the weekend in Kabul, Afghanistan.
He praised the operation as a major victory in the war against terrorist organisations overseas, particularly, as the White House was happy to point out over a year after the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, in nations where the United States no longer has a military presence.
Al-Zawahiri had come to the Afghan capital to visit his family, the president stated in his speech, and he was killed on Sunday morning local time. When Osama bin Laden was killed by American soldiers in 2011, Al-Zawahiri assumed control of the organization, and officials think he played a significant role in the group’s overseas operations for many years.
Biden expressed his hope that the death of al-Zawahiri will provide some comfort to those whose loved ones died in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
A senior administration official earlier on Monday told reporters that the U.S. drone strike was the result of cooperation from several terrorist groups. The operation was conducted by the CIA, a different source told ABC News.
According to an administration official, Biden was initially briefed about al-Zawahiri’s presence in April and was finally briefed on a planned operation on July 1. On July 25, key members of the cabinet and advisers gathered to get a final detailed briefing on the intelligence report, which the official claimed was getting stronger every day.
The senior official stated that the U.S. is certain he was the only one killed as per intelligence sources and many channels of intelligence.
Nearly a year has passed since Biden oversaw the tumultuous U.S. military pullout from Afghanistan following 2 decades of war, which resulted in the successful remote attack on al-Zawahiri. At the time, Obama and his administration claimed that the cost of becoming involved wasn’t worth the disruption and that even without ground forces, the United States would still be able to identify and neutralise terrorist threats.
The Taliban, the armed organization the U.S. had battled after invading in 2001, surprisingly quickly regained control of the nation when the withdrawal from Afghanistan, that was negotiated during the Trump presidency, took place. Republicans and others criticized Biden for the way he handled the withdrawal.
The U.S. army and others were trying to evacuate people when an Islamic State strike hit an airport checkpoint in Kabul. Numerous Afghans and thirteen American soldiers were killed.
Al-Zawahiri has been residing in one of Kabul’s most wealthy and prominent localities, close to several diplomatic institutions and multinational corporations, the senior government official told reporters on Monday. The individual stated with certainty that the Taliban in power were aware of his whereabouts, which may intensify already tense ties with Washington.
According to the official, the Taliban made an effort to hide al-Zawahiri’s presence in his safe house following the attack.
