By MATTHEW LEE, NOMAAN MERCHANT and MIKE BALSAMO
WASHINGTON (AP) — A CIA drone strike has killed al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahri in Afghanistan, in response to 5 folks accustomed to the matter.
Current and former officers started listening to Sunday afternoon that al-Zawahri had been killed in a drone strike, however the administration delayed releasing the data till his dying might be confirmed, in response to one individual, who spoke on the situation of anonymity to debate the matter.
White House officers declined to verify al-Zawahri was killed however famous in an announcement that the United States carried out a “successful” counterterrorism operation in opposition to a major al-Qaida goal, including that “there were no civilian casualties.”
President Joe Biden is predicted to debate additional particulars of the operation in a 7:30 p.m. EDT handle to the nation.
An American floor staff was current in Afghanistan to help the strike and has since pulled out, a senior intelligence official mentioned.
Al-Zawahri’s loss eliminates the determine who greater than anybody formed al-Qaida, first as Osama bin Laden’s deputy since 1998, then as his successor. Together, he and bin Laden turned the jihadi motion’s weapons to focus on the United States, finishing up the deadliest assault ever on American soil — the Sept. 11, 2001, suicide hijackings.
The assaults on the World Trade Center and Pentagon made bin Laden America’s Enemy No. 1. But he seemingly might by no means have carried it out with out his deputy. Bin Laden supplied al-Qaida with charisma and cash, however al-Zawahri introduced techniques and organizational abilities wanted to forge militants right into a community of cells in international locations around the globe.
Their bond was cast within the late Nineteen Eighties, when al-Zawahri reportedly handled the Saudi millionaire bin Laden within the caves of Afghanistan as Soviet bombardment shook the mountains round them.
Biden deliberate to talk from the balcony off the White House Blue Room as he stays in isolation within the residence whereas he continues to check constructive for COVID-19.
Speaking on Aug. 31, 2021, after the final U.S. troops left Afghanistan, Biden mentioned the U.S. wouldn’t let up on its combat in opposition to terrorism in that nation or elsewhere.
“We will maintain the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan and other countries,” he mentioned. “We just don’t need to fight a ground war to do it.” Previewing the strike that might happen 11 months later, Biden mentioned on the time, “We have what’s called over-the-horizon capabilities, which means we can strike terrorists and targets without American boots on the ground — or very few, if needed.”
There have been rumors of al-Zawahri’s dying on and off for a number of years. But a video surfaced in April of the al-Qaida chief praising a Indian Muslim lady who had defied a ban on carrying a hijab, or headband. That footage was the primary proof in months that he was nonetheless alive.
An announcement from Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities confirmed the airstrike, however didn’t point out al-Zawahri or another casualties.
It mentioned it “strongly condemns this attack and calls it a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement,” the 2020 U.S. pact with the Taliban that led to the withdrawal of American forces.
“Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan, and the region,” the assertion mentioned.
—-
Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor, James LaPorta, Zeke Miller and Aamer Madhani in Washington and Rahim Faiez in Islamabad contributed reporting.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”