Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has been killed in a CIA drone strike in Afghanistan, US officers instructed Reuters on Monday, the largest blow to the militant staff since its founder Osama bin Weighted down was once killed in 2011.
Zawahiri, an Egyptian physician and surgeon, helped coordinate the 9/11, 2001, assaults wherein 4 civilian airplane have been hijacked and slammed into the International Industry Heart’s dual towers in New York, the Pentagon close to Washington and a Pennsylvania box, killing just about 3,000 folks.
One of the most US officers, talking at the situation of anonymity, mentioned a drone strike was once performed via the CIA within the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday.
“Over the weekend, the US carried out a counterterrorism operation towards an important Al Qaeda goal in Afghanistan,” a senior management legit mentioned.
“The operation was once a hit and there have been no civilian casualties,” the legit added.
If showed, his dying in a CIA drone strike raises questions on whether or not he was once being given sanctuary via the Taliban following their takeover of Kabul in August 2021 because the ultimate US-led troops have been leaving Afghanistan after twenty years of struggle.
In a commentary, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid showed {that a} strike happened and strongly condemned it, calling it a contravention of “global rules.”
US President Joe Biden will ship remarks on Monday at 7:30 p.m. (2330 GMT) on what the White Space described as a “a hit counter-terrorism operation.”
A noisy explosion echoed via Kabul early Sunday morning.
“A space was once hit via a rocket in Sherpoor. There have been no casualties as the home was once empty,” Abdul Nafi Takor, spokesman of the internal ministry, mentioned previous.
One Taliban supply, soliciting for anonymity, mentioned there have been stories of a minimum of one drone flying over Kabul that morning.
With different senior al Qaeda participants, Zawahiri is assumed to have plotted the October 12, 2000 assault at the USS Cole naval vessel in Yemen which killed 17 US sailors and injured greater than 30 others, the Rewards for Justice web page mentioned.
He was once indicted in the US for his position within the August 7, 1998 bombings of the USA embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 folks and wounded greater than 5,000 others.
Each bin encumbered and Zawahiri had eluded seize when US.-led forces toppled Afghanistan’s Taliban govt in past due 2001 following the 9/11 assaults on the US.
Bin Weighted down was once killed in 2011 via US forces in Pakistan.