Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri killed by US drone strike in Afghanistan, Biden says | US News

Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has been killed by a US airstrike in Afghanistan, US President Joe Biden has confirmed.

Addressing the nation from the balcony off the White Residence Blue Space, Mr Biden said “justice has been delivered” just after authorising the strike which killed the man who was one particular of the masterminds of the 9/11 terror assaults.

“This terrorist chief is no extra,” Mr Biden additional, right before expressing his hope the killing delivers “one extra measure of closure” to households of the practically 3000 people today who died in the attacks on 11 September 2001.

The president extra that Afghanistan will “never ever all over again come to be a terrorist safe haven” just after the strike was carried out just about a 12 months soon after US troops withdrew from the nation.

The Egyptian terror chief was standing on the balcony of a safehouse in downtown Kabul on Sunday morning when he was killed by two hellfire missiles fired from a drone.

Mr Biden stated none of the 71-yr-old’s loved ones associates were being wounded and there ended up no civilian casualties.

The US president explained: “The United States carries on to show our solve and our capability to protect the American people versus all those who find to do us damage.

“We make it distinct once again tonight that no subject how prolonged it will take, no matter the place you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will obtain you and take you out.”

The FBI had been offering $25m (£20m) for “data top to the apprehension or conviction” of the terror chief, whose demise is the major blow to al Qaeda due to the fact its founder Osama bin Laden was killed by US unique forces in 2011.

The procedure to kill al-Zawahiri was numerous months in the organizing, in accordance to a senior US administration official.

Mr Biden was initial briefed about a proposed operation to acquire out the al Qaeda chief on 1 July this calendar year.

But it was substantially earlier in the year when intelligence recommended that his spouse and kids had relocated to Kabul. He and his family had been considered until finally that point to have been in hiding in Pakistan.

The relatives were being found to a safehouse wherever, the US formal states, al-Zawahiri was at some point noticed too.

He was viewed for various months and his sample of lifestyle was recorded. He under no circumstances left the property but did invest time on a balcony in which he was ultimately killed.

On 25 July, a specific proposal experienced been introduced to Mr Biden who, the administration formal stated, requested “granular amount curiosity” for the reason that of the focus on having “every stage… to minimise civilian casualties.

Intelligence allowed the Americans to research the build of the dwelling to ensure that civilian casualties have been avoided.

The formal extra al-Zawahiri’s death is “a important blow to Al Qaeda and will degrade their potential to function”.

Richard Moore, head of the UK’s intelligence support MI6, claimed his ideas were with the family members of those people killed by al-Zawahiri’s atrocities.

Mr Moore tweeted: “Rough job professionally performed by our US allies. Fruits of a long, shared hard work since 9/11 to remove the danger posed by Zawahiri – a guy liable, with his toxic creed, for the dying of so numerous these past three a long time.”

Saudi Arabia also welcomed Mr Biden’s announcement.

“Zawahiri is thought of just one of the leaders of terrorism that led the scheduling and execution of heinous terrorist functions
in the United States and Saudi Arabia,” the point out media claimed, quoting a foreign ministry assertion.

Mr Biden tackled the nation from the balcony off the White Household Blue Area as he remains in isolation in the home although he continues to test positive for COVID-19.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has verified that a strike took position and strongly condemned it, calling it a violation of “intercontinental rules”.

Speaking on 31 August 2021, following the very last US troops still left Afghanistan, Mr Biden stated the US would not permit up on its fight against terrorism in that region or somewhere else.

“We will manage the fight versus terrorism in Afghanistan and other nations,” he mentioned.

“We just will not require to battle a ground war to do it.”

Previewing the strike that would happen 11 months later on, Mr Biden mentioned at the time: “We have what is called about-the-horizon capabilities, which means we can strike terrorists and targets without the need of American boots on the ground – or very couple of, if needed.”