Al-Qaeda Leader Ayman al-Zawahiri Killed in U.S. Drone Strike
The U.S. took out al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri during a counterterrorism operation this weekend, President Joe Biden announced Monday.
“On Saturday, at my direction, the United States successfully concluded an air strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed Ayman al-Zawahiri,” Biden said.
The mission was “rigorously planned,” there were no civilian casualties, and he authorized the precision strike after being advised the “conditions were optimal,” the president said.
“For decades, he was the mastermind behind the attacks on Americans, including the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000, which killed 17 American sailors and wounded dozens more. He played a key role in the bombing of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 and wounding over 4,500 others,” he added.
Egyptian-born al-Zawahiri was placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist list after 9/11 with a reward of $25 million for information leading to his arrest.
Al-Zawahiri, along with Osama bin Laden, orchestrated the 9/11 terroristic attacks and then evaded U.S. assassination attempts for decades.
He was the founder of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which merged with al-Qaeda after 1998. Al-Zawahiri took over as the leader of the terrorist organization after U.S. Navy SEALs killed bin Laden in 2011.
“The world no longer need to fear the vicious and determined killer. The United States continues to demonstrate our resolve and our capacity to defend the American people against those who seek to do us harm,” Biden said.
“This operation is a clear demonstration that we will, we can, and we will always make good on the solemn pledge that my administration will continue to vigilantly monitor and address threats from al-Qaeda no matter where they emanate from,” he added.
