প্রকাশ: 02/08/2022
The United States
killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a strike in Afghanistan over the
weekend, President Joe Biden said on Monday, the biggest blow to the militant
group since its founder Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011.
Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who had a $25 million bounty
on his head, helped coordinate the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly
3,000 people.
US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said
Zawahiri died after a US drone strike in the Afghan capital Kabul at 6:18 a.m.
(0148 GMT) on Sunday.
"Now justice has been delivered, and this terrorist
leader is no more," Biden, who is recovering from Covid-19, said in
remarks from the White House. "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."
US intelligence determined with "high confidence"
through multiple intelligence streams that the man killed was Zawahiri, one
senior administration official told reporters. He was killed on the balcony of
a "safe house" in Kabul that he shared with other members of his
family. There were no other casualties.
Biden said Zawahiri had been the mastermind behind or played
a key role in attacks on the USS Cole and US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
"Zawahiri continued to pose an active threat to US
persons, interests and national security," the official said on a
conference call. "His death deals a significant blow to al Qaeda and will
degrade the group's ability to operate."
There were rumors of Zawahiri's death several times in
recent years, and he was long reported to have been in poor health.
Taliban condemnation
The drone attack is the first known US strike inside
Afghanistan since US troops and diplomats left the country in August 2021. The
move may bolster the credibility of Washington's assurances that the United
States can still address threats from Afghanistan without a military presence
in the country.
His death also raises questions about whether Zawahiri
received sanctuary from the Taliban following their takeover of Kabul in August
2021. The official said senior Taliban officials were aware of his presence in
the city and said the United States expected the Taliban to abide by an
agreement not to allow al Qaeda fighters to re-establish themselves in the
country.
"The Taliban will have to answer for al-Zawahiri's
presence in Kabul, after assuring the world they would not give safe haven to
al-Qaeda terrorists," Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Permanent Select
Committee on Intelligence, said in a statement.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that a strike
took place and strongly condemned it, calling it a violation of
"international principles."
Zawahiri succeeded bin Laden as al Qaeda leader after years
as its main organizer and strategist, but his lack of charisma and competition
from rival militants Islamic State hobbled his ability to inspire devastating
attacks on the West.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers lauded the operation.
"The world is safer without him in it and this strike
demonstrates our ongoing commitment to hunt down all terrorists responsible for
9/11 and those who continue to pose a threat to US interests," said
Republican US Senator Marco Rubio.
Until the US announcement, Zawahiri had been rumored
variously to be in Pakistan's tribal area or inside Afghanistan.
A video released in April in which he praised an Indian
Muslim woman for defying a ban on wearing an Islamic head scarf dispelled
rumors that he had died.
The senior US official said finding Zawahiri was the result
of persistent counterterrorism work. The United States identified this year
that Zawahiri's wife, daughter and her children had relocated to a safe house
in Kabul, then identified that Zawahiri was there as well, the official said.
"Once Zawahiri arrived at the location, we are not
aware of him ever leaving the safe house," the official said. He was
identified multiple times on the balcony, where he was ultimately struck. He
continued to produce videos from the house and some may be released after his
death, the official said.
In the last few weeks, Biden convened officials to
scrutinize the intelligence. He was updated throughout May and June and was
briefed on July 1 on a proposed operation by intelligence leaders. On July 25
he received an updated report and authorized the strike once an opportunity was
available, the administration official said.
A loud explosion echoed through 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
interior ministry, said earlier.
One Taliban source, requesting anonymity, said there had
been reports of at least one drone flying over Kabul that morning.
With other senior al Qaeda members, Zawahiri is believed to
have plotted the October 12, 2000, attack on the USS Cole naval vessel in Yemen
which killed 17 US sailors and injured more than 30 others, the Rewards for
Justice website said.
He was indicted in the United States for his role in the
August 7, 1998, bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed
224 people and wounded more than 5,000 others.
Both bin Laden and Zawahiri eluded capture when US-led
forces toppled Afghanistan's Taliban government in late 2001 following the
Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
- Reuters
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