He is bin Laden’s successor
US kills Al Qaeda leader Zawahiri in Afghanistan
Al-Qaeda leader al-Zawahiri was killed in a US drone strike in Afghanistan, according to US media.
Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a US-led counter-terrorism operation in Afghanistan. US President Joe Biden, 79, announced Monday evening that al-Zawahiri had died in a targeted attack in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
Al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian, succeeded Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Bin Laden was killed by US special forces in Pakistan in 2011. Now the Americans have removed his successor as well – in Afghanistan, a year after troops were ousted from the country.
“This terrorist leader is no more”
During a brief appearance at the White House in Washington, Biden commented on the attack on the terrorist group – in a speech on the balcony at the government headquarters.
Al-Zawahiri was bin Laden’s deputy during the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and rose to prominence after his death, Biden said. For decades, al-Zawahiri masterminded attacks on Americans and played a key role in various terrorist attacks. “Now justice has been served. And the terrorist leader disappeared.
Al-Zawahiri made his last public appearance last September, 20 years after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. In a video message he called on his supporters against states in the West and their allies in the Middle East. In previous years, there were unconfirmed rumors of his death. His exact whereabouts are unknown.
There were also speculations about his health. Citing intelligence information in 2019, the media reported that Sawahiri was suffering from a heart problem. His death came as a surprise. The US put a $25 million bounty on his head. Experts recently suspected al-Zawahiri was hiding in the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan. (SDA)
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