https://www.npr.org/2022/08/01/11150357 ... fghanistan
The U.S. has killed top al-Qaida leader and key 9/11 plotter, Ayman al-Zawahiri
Ximena Bustillo, August 1, 2022
Top al-Qaida leader and key 9/11 plotter Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed by a drone strike carried out by the U.S. on July 30, according to President Joe Biden.
"For decades he was the mastermind behind attacks against Americans," Biden said on Aug. 1, also noting the 2000 USS Cole attack and the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
Biden detailed al-Zawahiri's role leading al-Qaida since Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in 2011, including calling on followers in recent weeks to attack the U.S. and allies in videos.
"We make it clear again tonight that, that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out," Biden said.
Biden said that no one else was hurt in the strike, including al-Zawahiri's family, who were elsewhere in a safehouse, and there were no civilian casualties.
An administration official who briefed reporters ahead of Biden's remarks said al-Zawahiri was an active threat to U.S. national security and that his death is a "hugely significant blow" to al-Qaida.
"And to those around the world who continue to seek to harm the United States, hear me now: We will always remain vigilant and we will act and we will always do what is necessary to ensure the safety and security of Americans at home and around the globe," Biden said.
The U.S. has been aware of a network that protected al-Zawahiri for several years, the senior administration official said.
Biden was briefed on the proposed operation, and he convened a meeting on July 25 with key cabinet members and top officials for a final briefing on the intelligence assessment, the official said. There was unanimous support to strike the target and Biden authorized a "tailored" airstrike to minimize civilian casualties.
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https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/0 ... e-00049089
U.S. kills al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri in drone strike
“Justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more,” said President Joe Biden.
ALEXANDER WARD, PAUL MCLEARY, NAHAL TOOSI and LARA SELIGMAN, 08/01/2022
The United States killed al Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahri in a drone strike over the weekend, an operation that included tracking him down through his family, a senior administration official confirmed to reporters.
The strike, carried out by a CIA-operated Air Force drone, occurred at 6:18 a.m. Sunday local time in Kabul as the al Qaeda leader stood on the balcony of his house, the official said. A person familiar with the operation separately said it took “a few days” to confirm the killing because the U.S. doesn’t “have many assets on the ground.”
Zawahri never achieved the household name status of his predecessor, Osama bin Laden, but his killing is nonetheless a major win for the United States in the ongoing struggle against Islamist terrorism, especially as the United Nations warns that the terrorist group is outpacing its peers — like the Islamic State — as a long-term global threat.
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Gautam
Did the Pakistani National Bird fly from the Land of the Pure?
Is Kabul the new place to be? Is Pakistan loosing out to Afghanistan in this respect?