Al-Qaeda Chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of the world’s most wanted terrorists and a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks, was killed over the weekend in a drone strike carried out by the US.
Updated: August 02, 2022 7:27 am IST
The 71-year-old was believed to be the main strategist who steered Al-Qaeda operations
Al-Qaeda Chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of the world’s most wanted terrorists and a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks, was killed in Kabul over the weekend in a drone strike carried out by the US.
- In a televised address, US President Joe Biden said that he hoped Zawahiri’s death would bring “closure” to families of the 3,000 people killed in the United States on 9/11.
- He said that there were no civilian casualties in the operation. “Justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more”, the US president said.
- “The United States continues to demonstrate our resolve and our capacity to defend the American people against those who seek to do us harm. Tonight we made clear: No matter how long it takes. No matter where you try to hide. We will find you,” he later tweeted.
- Officials said Zawahiri was on the balcony of his Kabul residence when he was targeted with two Hellfire missiles on July 31, adding that President Biden gave his go-ahead to the operation on July 25.
- Apparent photographs of the building show windows blown out on one floor, but the rest of the building appeared completely intact. Members of Zawahiri’s family were present at the home, but “were purposely not targeted and were not harmed,” officials said.
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