The United States has killed the top Al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan in a drone strike over the weekend, President Joe Biden said in remarks Monday.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, who took over Al Qaeda after the death of Osama bin Laden, was killed in the strike, Biden said.
“My fellow Americans, on Saturday at my discretion, the United States successfully concluded an airstrike in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed the amir of Al Qaeda Ayman al-Zawahiri,” he said.
The New York Times, NBC News and Politico previously reported the strike, citing U.S. officials.
Al-Zawahiri is believed to be one of the central planners behind the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. He was a physician and founder of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad before taking over the top ranks of the Al Qaeda network.
“Over the weekend, the United States conducted a counterterrorism operation against a significant Al Qaeda target in Afghanistan,” a senior Biden administration official said on condition of anonymity. “The operation was successful and there were no civilian casualties.”
The strike is the first attack in Afghanistan since American forces left last year. U.S. officials said the strike was not conducted by the military but was carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency.
“The strike that killed Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri is a major success of U.S. counterterrorism efforts,” Mick Mulroy, a former C.I.A. officer and senior Pentagon official, told the New York Times. “A result of countless hours of intelligence collection over many years. He likely believed we would never be able to track him down,” Mulroy said. “But he was wrong.”
A statement from the Taliban condemned the operation.
“The security and intelligence agencies of the Islamic Emirate investigated the incident and found that the attack was carried out by American drones,” the translated tweet from Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Majuhid said. “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns this attack on any pretext and calls it a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement.”
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How many times before, have we been told “WE killed XYZ In a drone strike”, only to find that they are still alive, 3-4 years later.
This from the Veep who adamantly opposed Obama approving the hit on Bin Laden, now so desperate to save the mid-term elections can change colors faster than a chameleon when it is He and his own office that is about to get swallowed. I guess the Big Guy made enough on the 10% of the 80 billion in military arms he left for the Taliban in Afghanistan last year, he no longer needs the pittance he was getting under the table from the Bin Laden and al-Zawahiri families to help keep their own crime family members alive.
Like always. WHEN Someone else did the same thing it was wrong/ BUT WHEN HE Wants to do it, its good.
i need to see him deceased because everything this clown does is a failure.
how many civilians got killed?
don’t we still have americans trapped in that rat hole of a country?
we are in a bad place with the leadership in america.
Trying to salvage you Afghanistan debacle, Joe? Hoping those poll numbers will go up?
Another Jihadist that we will find in drag at some French Cafe in Paris. Yep, hide them in open sight, then tell the world what a good boy I am for taking them out. Then they only killed him with two hell fire missiles but no one else was injured or killed. What the heck is this playing us for the fool we are? Sounds like the O Bam A the magic N——O when he got bin laden.
Is this for real? How can you trust any of the certifying agencies of this event when their recent and present record of lying and misinformation has been well documented? Are you kidding me, maybe you were born yesterday but until undeniable proof is provided I will believe that this is just another fabrication of the current administration to try to prop up its innumerable and catastrophic failures.