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Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed over the weekend in a drone strike in a U.S. counterterrorism operation, President Joe Biden introduced Monday evening.
“He carved a path of homicide and violence towards Americans, American service members, American diplomats, and American pursuits,” President Biden stated in his transient remarks from the White Home balcony. “Now, justice has been delivered. And this terrorist chief isn’t any extra.”
The president stated al-Zawahiri was killed in Kabul.
“After relentlessly searching for Zawahiri for years below Presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump, our intelligence group situated Zawahiri earlier this yr,” Mr. Biden stated. “He had moved to downtown Kabul to reunite with members of his quick household.”
The U.S. authorities had a number of, impartial sources confirming al-Zawahiri’s whereabouts at a safehouse, a senior administration official informed reporters on a name Monday night. The strike was a results of cautious, affected person and chronic work by counterterrorism officers over the course of months and years.
The president stated that after he thought-about “clear and convincing proof” of al-Zawahiri’s location, he “licensed a precision strike that may take away him from the battlefield as soon as and for all.” He gave his remaining approval to “go get him” one week in the past.
Al-Zawahiri was finally taken out by a drone at 9:48 p.m. ET Saturday, whereas he was on the balcony of the safehouse, and his relations have been in several rooms of the home.
“None of his relations have been harm and there have been no civilian casualties,” the president stated. The U.S. authorities has a excessive stage of confidence that nobody else was killed within the strike, in line with the senior administration official.
The senior administration official stated the president acquired common updates because the U.S. authorities zeroed in on al-Zawahiri. As soon as the safehouse was situated, the president needed to know extra concerning the structure of the safehouse’s doorways and home windows to keep away from different casualties. In a July 25 assembly, the president licensed a exact, tailor-made air strike that may reduce civilian deaths as a lot as doable, the senior administration official stated.
With al-Zawahiri’s loss of life, all of prime plotters of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist assaults are actually both lifeless or captured.
The FBI up to date its “Most Needed Terrorist” poster Monday with al-Zawahiri’s standing: “Deceased.”
The president spoke of his visits to Shanksville, Penn., and Floor Zero in New York final yr on the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 assaults, and he stated that seeing the names of those that died within the assault etched in bronze was a reminder of the vow Individuals made to “always remember.”
Mr. Biden stated his hope was that the motion taken towards al-Zawahiri “will convey another measure of closure” to those that misplaced family members on 9/11.
The strike got here almost one yr after U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan, which was not misplaced on the president. The Biden administration has lengthy made the argument that it might probably proceed to deal with terrorist threats to the American folks with out boots on the bottom in Afghanistan, from “over the horizon.”
“After I ended our navy mission in Afghanistan virtually a yr in the past, I decided that after 20 years of battle, the USA not wanted hundreds of shoes on the bottom in Afghanistan to guard America from terrorists who search to do us hurt,” Mr. Biden stated. “I made a promise to the American folks that we might proceed to conduct efficient counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan and past. We have accomplished simply that.”
Two intelligence sources conversant in the matter stated the strike was carried out by the CIA.
The president, who examined optimistic with a rebound case of COVID-19, delivered his remarks outdoor from a balcony on the White Home.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Monday confirmed an airstrike carried out by a drone in Kabul. He stated the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan views that as a transparent violation of worldwide rules.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated Monday that by sheltering al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan, “the Taliban grossly violated the Doha Settlement and repeated assurances to the world that they might not permit Afghan territory for use by terrorists to threaten the safety of different nations.”
Former Performing CIA Director and CBS Information contributor Michael Morell stated after the president’s remarks that “it is actually exhausting for me to imagine [al-Zawahiri] was in Kabul with out the information of no less than a few of the Taliban management.”
Noting that al-Zawahiri was “residing there pretty overtly, not attempting to cover,” Morell stated the strike additionally makes clear to every other al Qaeda members in Afghanistan that they need to nonetheless fear about their safety, even supposing the U.S. not has troops there.
Al-Zawahiri has lengthy been a needed man. After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist assaults, then-President George W. Bush launched an inventory of the FBI’s 22 most needed terrorists, with al-Zawahiri close to the highest of the listing together with Osama bin Laden.
For years, al-Zawahiri was generally known as al Qaeda’s No. 2, however many analysts imagine he was actually the brains behind bin Laden’s operation.
Bin Laden was killed by U.S. particular forces in 2011, however al-Zawahiri eluded makes an attempt on his life and a global manhunt till his loss of life.
Zawahiri continued to launch video statements, together with one on Sept. 11, 2021, though it was unclear if that recording was new or previous. It was rumored for years that he had died, and the U.S. provided $25 million for info that would result in his apprehension.
Andrew Ansbro, president of the FDNY-Firefighters Affiliation, in an announcement Monday thanked Mr. Biden for “serving to to convey one other stage of closure to all impacted by these assaults.”
— CBS Information’ Arden Farhi, Nancy Cordes, Andres Triay, Ahmad Muktar, Pat Milton and Olivia Gazis contributed to this report.
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