Al Qaeda chief Zawahiri killed in CIA drone strike in Afghanistan – US officers

Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has been killed in a CIA drone strike in Afghanistan, US officers instructed Reuters on Monday, the most important blow to the militant group since its founder Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011.

Zawahiri, an Egyptian physician and surgeon, helped coordinate the Sept. 11, 2001, assaults during which 4 civilian plane have been hijacked and slammed into the World Trade Center’s twin towers in New York, the Pentagon close to Washington and a Pennsylvania area, killing almost 3,000 individuals.

One of the US officers, talking on the situation of anonymity, mentioned a drone strike was carried out by the CIA within the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday.

“Over the weekend, the United States conducted a counterterrorism operation against a significant Al Qaeda target in Afghanistan,” a senior administration official mentioned.

“The operation was successful and there were no civilian casualties,” the official added.

If confirmed, his loss of life in a CIA drone strike raises questions on whether or not he was being given sanctuary by the Taliban following their takeover of Kabul in August 2021 because the final US-led troops have been leaving Afghanistan after 20 years of struggle.

In an announcement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed {that a} strike happened and strongly condemned it, calling it a violation of “international principles.”

US President Joe Biden will ship remarks on Monday at 7:30 p.m. (2330 GMT) on what the White House described as a “successful counter-terrorism operation.”

A loud explosion echoed by means of Kabul early Sunday morning.

“A house was hit by a rocket in Sherpoor. There were no casualties as the house was empty,” Abdul Nafi Takor, spokesman of the inside ministry, mentioned earlier.

One Taliban supply, requesting anonymity, mentioned there had been reviews of a minimum of one drone flying over Kabul that morning.

With different senior al Qaeda members, Zawahiri is believed to have plotted the October 12, 2000 assault on the USS Cole naval vessel in Yemen which killed 17 US sailors and injured greater than 30 others, the Rewards for Justice web site mentioned.

He was indicted within the United States for his position within the August 7, 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 individuals and wounded greater than 5,000 others.

Both bin laden and Zawahiri had eluded seize when US.-led forces toppled Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities in late 2001 following the Sept. 11 assaults on the United States.

Bin Laden was killed in 2011 by US forces in Pakistan.