{"id":1164632,"date":"2022-08-03T11:57:45","date_gmt":"2022-08-03T11:57:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/08\/03\/us-kills-al-qaeda-leader-in-afghanistan-drone-strike\/"},"modified":"2022-08-03T11:57:45","modified_gmt":"2022-08-03T11:57:45","slug":"us-kills-al-qaeda-leader-in-afghanistan-drone-strike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/08\/03\/us-kills-al-qaeda-leader-in-afghanistan-drone-strike\/","title":{"rendered":"US kills al-Qaeda leader in Afghanistan drone strike"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"The
The US has killed the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a drone strike in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden has confirmed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The US has killed the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a drone strike in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden has confirmed.<\/p>\n

He was killed in a counter-terrorism operation carried out by the CIA in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday.<\/p>\n

He and Osama Bin Laden plotted the 9\/11 attacks together, and he was one of America\u2019s most wanted terrorists.<\/p>\n

Mr Biden said al-Zawahiri had \u201ccarved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens\u201d.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom hiding, he co-ordinated al-Qaeda\u2019s branches and all around the world, setting priorities for providing operational guidance and calling for and inspired attacks against US targets,\u201d the president said in a live television address from the White House.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow justice has been delivered and this terrorist leader is no more,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The FBI updated its\u00a0Most Wanted Terrorist poster\u00a0on Monday with Zawahiri\u2019s status: \u201cDeceased.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 71-year-old Egyptian doctor took over al-Qaeda after the death of Bin Laden in 2011.<\/p>\n

Mr Biden said he had given the final approval for the \u201cprecision strike\u201d after months of planning.<\/p>\n

Officials said Zawahiri was on the balcony of a safe house when the drone fired two missiles at him.<\/p>\n

Other family members were present, but they were unharmed and only Zawahiri was killed in the attack, they added.<\/p>\n

Mr Biden said Zawahiri\u2019s killing will bring closure to families of the nearly 3,000 victims of the 2001 attacks in which hijackers crashed passenger jets into landmark buildings in New York and Washington \u2013 two skyscrapers in Manhattan.<\/p>\n

Some 344 firefighters were also killed. Andrew Ansbro, president of the New York Firefighters Association thanked Mr Biden for \u201chelping to bring another level of closure to all impacted by these attacks\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mr Biden said that Zawahiri had also masterminded other acts of violence, the suicide bombing of the USS Cole naval destroyer in Aden in October 2000 which killed 17 US sailors, and the 1998 attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, in which 223 people died.<\/p>\n

Douglas Sidialo lost his sight in the Kenyan attack, and told BBC Newsday that while he never condones violence, news of Zawahiri\u2019s death is welcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good that it has happened \u2013 that they\u2019re bringing down those who were behind these heinous and barbaric acts of cowardice around the world,\u201d Mr Sidialo said.<\/p>\n

MORE:<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n