Drone attack in Afghanistan: US announce killing of al-Qaeda boss

Heavy blow to al-Qaeda: The US killed the leader of the terrorist organization, al-Zawahiri, in a drone attack in Afghanistan. He was considered a central figure behind the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist network, Aiman ​​al-Zawahiri, has been killed in a US anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan. Al-Sawahiri was killed in a targeted drone strike at a shelter in the Afghan capital Kabul over the weekend, a senior US official said.

President Joe Biden said, “Now justice has been done. And that terrorist leader is no more.” Biden made the statement during a speech on a White House balcony. He is currently in isolation due to an infection with the corona virus.

Egyptian al-Zawahiri succeeded Osama bin Laden, who was thought to be the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. Bin Laden was killed by US special forces in Pakistan in 2011. Now the Americans have also eliminated al-Zawahiri – in Afghanistan, a year after the chaotic withdrawal of troops from the country.

The US President took al-Zawahiri’s death as proof that it was possible to protect America from terrorists even without thousands of soldiers on Afghan soil. The blow is also a message to others: “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.”

USA: Taliban knew of whereabouts

According to the US government, the attack on al-Zawahiri had been prepared for months. He was finally killed when he stepped onto the balcony of his shelter in Kabul. According to US information, only al-Sawahiri died in the attack, according to the government spokeswoman. No US forces were in Kabul during the operation.

She emphasized that according to US information, members of the Taliban leadership knew that the al-Qaeda boss was in Kabul. You would have clearly violated agreements with the United States.

Al-Zawahiri was bin Laden’s deputy at the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks and took his place after his death, she said. The 71-year-old was the highest-ranking leader of al-Qaeda and continued to call for attacks against the United States, thus posing a threat. His death was a serious blow to the terrorist group.

Last public appearance in September 2021

Al-Zawahiri made his last public appearance last September – exactly 20 years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In a video message he called on his supporters to fight the states in the West and their allies in the Middle East.

In previous years, there had been unconfirmed rumors of his death. His exact whereabouts were unknown. There was also speculation about his state of health. Media reported in 2019, citing intelligence information, that Sawahiri was suffering from heart problems. His death came as a surprise.

The United States had put a $25 million bounty on his head. Experts recently suspected that al-Zawahiri was hiding in the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Taliban speak of attack on residential areas

The radical Islamic Taliban accused the United States of a drone attack on a residential area in Kabul. A house was shot at there on Sunday, said the spokesman for the extremists, Sabihullah Mutschahid. The Taliban condemned the attack as a breach of international principles and the treaty to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan.

The Taliban took control of Afghanistan last summer. The USA and its allies left the country after years of military action. The Taliban government is not recognized internationally.