Ayman Al Zawahiri Was Killed Says Biden. Al Qaeda S Leader Was Osama Bin Laden S No. 2

“He has carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens, American military personnel, American diplomats and American interests,” President Biden said in his brief speech from the White House balcony. “Now, justice has been served. And this terrorist leader is no more.” The president said al-Zawahiri was killed in Kabul. “After relentlessly searching for Zawahiri for years under Presidents Bush, Obama and Trump, our intelligence community identified Zawahiri earlier this year,” Mr. Biden said. “He had moved to central Kabul to be reunited with his family members.” The US government had multiple, independent sources confirming al-Zawahiri’s whereabouts in a safe haven, a senior administration official told reporters in a telephone call on Monday night. The strike was the result of careful, patient and persistent work by counterterrorism officials over months and years.
The president said that after reviewing “clear and convincing evidence” of al-Zawahiri’s location, he “authorized a precision strike that will remove him from the battlefield once and for all.” He gave his final approval to “go get him” a week ago. Al-Zawahiri was finally removed by a drone at 9:48 p.m. ET Saturday, while he was on the balcony of the shelter and his family members were in different rooms of the house. “None of his family members were injured and there were no civilian casualties,” the president said. The US government has a high level of confidence that no one else was killed in the attack, according to the senior government official. The senior administration official said the president received regular updates as the US government zeroed in on al-Zawahiri. Once the safe was located, the president wanted to understand more about the layout of the safe’s doors and windows to avoid other victims. In a July 25 meeting, the president approved an expensive, tailored air strike that would minimize civilian deaths as much as possible, the senior administration official said. With the death of al-Zawahiri, all the top conspirators of September 11, 2001, the terrorist attacks are now either dead or captured. The FBI updated its “Most Wanted Terrorist” poster on Monday with al-Zawahiri’s status: “Deceased.” FBI “Most Wanted Terrorist” poster for Ayman al-Zawahiri updated to note that he died, August 1, 2022. FBI The president spoke of his visits to Shanksville, Penn., and Ground Zero in New York last year on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and said seeing the names of those who died in the attack carved into bronze. reminder of the oath Americans took to “never forget.” Mr Biden said he hoped the action taken against al-Zawahiri “will bring another measure of closure” to those who lost loved ones on 9/11. The blow came nearly a year after US troops pulled out of Afghanistan, a fact not lost on the president. The Biden administration has long argued that it can continue to confront terrorist threats to the American people without boots on the ground in Afghanistan, “over the horizon.” President Joe Biden addresses the nation on the killing of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a U.S. drone strike August 1, 2022. POOL / REUTERS “When I ended our military mission in Afghanistan almost a year ago, I decided that after 20 years of war, the United States no longer needed thousands of boots on the ground in Afghanistan to protect America from terrorists who are trying to do us harm. ,” Mr. Biden said. “I promised the American people that we would continue to conduct effective counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan and beyond. We have done just that.” Two intelligence sources familiar with the matter said the strike was carried out by the CIA. The president, who tested positive for a rebound case of COVID-19, made his remarks outdoors from a White House balcony. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Monday confirmed an airstrike carried out by a drone in Kabul. He said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers this a clear violation of international principles. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that by giving al-Zawahiri sanctuary in Afghanistan, “the Taliban have flagrantly violated the Doha Agreement and repeated assurances to the world that they will not allow Afghan soil to be used by terrorists to threaten the security of other countries. .” Former acting CIA director and CBS News contributor Michael Morell said after the president’s remarks that “it’s really hard for me to believe [al-Zawahiri] was in Kabul unbeknownst to at least some of the Taliban leadership.” Noting that al-Zawahiri “lived there quite openly, not trying to hide,” Morel said the strike also makes it clear to any other al-Qaeda members in Afghanistan that they should be concerned for their safety, despite the fact that the US no longer has troops there. Al-Zawahiri has long been a wanted man. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, then-President George W. Bush released a list of the FBI’s 22 most wanted terrorists, with al-Zawahiri at the top of the list along with Osama bin Laden. For years, al-Zawahiri was known as al-Qaeda’s No. 2, but many analysts believe he was really the mastermind behind the bin Laden operation.
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, left, sits with his adviser Ayman al-Zawahiri, during an interview with a Pakistani journalist at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan for an article published November 10, 2001. Getty Images Bin Laden was killed by US special forces in 2011, but al-Zawahiri eluded attempts on his life and an international manhunt until his death. Zawahiri continued to release video statements, including one on September 11, 2021, although it was unclear whether this recording was new or old. For years he was rumored to be dead and the US offered $25 million for information leading to his arrest. Andrew Ansbro, president of the FDNY Firefighters Association, in a statement Monday thanked Mr. Biden for “helping bring another level of closure to everyone affected by these attacks.” — CBS News’ Arden Farhi, Nancy Cordes, Andres Triay, Ahmad Muktar, Pat Milton and Olivia Gazis contributed to this report.

title: “Ayman Al Zawahiri Was Killed Says Biden. Al Qaeda S Leader Was Osama Bin Laden S No. 2 " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-06” author: “Ignacio Wood”

“He has carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens, American military personnel, American diplomats and American interests,” President Biden said in his brief speech from the White House balcony. “Now, justice has been served. And this terrorist leader is no more.” The president said al-Zawahiri was killed in Kabul. “After relentlessly searching for Zawahiri for years under Presidents Bush, Obama and Trump, our intelligence community identified Zawahiri earlier this year,” Mr. Biden said. “He had moved to central Kabul to be reunited with his family members.” The US government had multiple, independent sources confirming al-Zawahiri’s whereabouts in a safe haven, a senior administration official told reporters in a telephone call on Monday night. The strike was the result of careful, patient and persistent work by counterterrorism officials over months and years.
The president said that after reviewing “clear and convincing evidence” of al-Zawahiri’s location, he “authorized a precision strike that will remove him from the battlefield once and for all.” He gave his final approval to “go get him” a week ago. Al-Zawahiri was finally removed by a drone at 9:48 p.m. ET Saturday, while he was on the balcony of the shelter and his family members were in different rooms of the house. House in Kabul where a US drone strike killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri on July 30, 2022. Social media “None of his family members were injured and there were no civilian casualties,” the president said. The US government has a high level of confidence that no one else was killed in the attack, according to the senior government official. The senior administration official said the president received regular updates as the US government zeroed in on al-Zawahiri. Once the safe was located, the president wanted to understand more about the layout of the safe’s doors and windows to avoid other victims. In a July 25 meeting, the president approved an expensive, tailored air strike that would minimize civilian deaths as much as possible, the senior administration official said. With the death of al-Zawahiri, all the top conspirators of September 11, 2001, the terrorist attacks are now either dead or captured. The FBI updated its “Most Wanted Terrorist” poster on Monday with al-Zawahiri’s status: “Deceased.” FBI “Most Wanted Terrorist” poster for Ayman al-Zawahiri updated to note that he died, August 1, 2022. FBI The president spoke of his visits to Shanksville, Penn., and Ground Zero in New York last year on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and said seeing the names of those who died in the attack carved into bronze. reminder of the oath Americans took to “never forget.” Mr Biden said he hoped the action taken against al-Zawahiri “will bring another measure of closure” to those who lost loved ones on 9/11. The blow came nearly a year after US troops pulled out of Afghanistan, a fact not lost on the president. The Biden administration has long argued that it can continue to confront terrorist threats to the American people without boots on the ground in Afghanistan, “over the horizon.” President Joe Biden addresses the nation on the killing of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a U.S. drone strike August 1, 2022. POOL / REUTERS “When I ended our military mission in Afghanistan almost a year ago, I decided that after 20 years of war, the United States no longer needed thousands of boots on the ground in Afghanistan to protect America from terrorists who are trying to do us harm. ,” Mr. Biden said. “I promised the American people that we would continue to conduct effective counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan and beyond. We have done just that.” Two intelligence sources familiar with the matter said the strike was carried out by the CIA. The president, who tested positive for a rebound case of COVID-19, made his remarks outdoors from a White House balcony. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Monday confirmed an airstrike carried out by a drone in Kabul. He said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers this a clear violation of international principles. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that by giving al-Zawahiri sanctuary in Afghanistan, “the Taliban have flagrantly violated the Doha Agreement and repeated assurances to the world that they will not allow Afghan soil to be used by terrorists to threaten the security of other countries. .” Former acting CIA director and CBS News contributor Michael Morell said after the president’s remarks that “it’s really hard for me to believe [al-Zawahiri] was in Kabul unbeknownst to at least some of the Taliban leadership.” Noting that al-Zawahiri was “living there quite openly, not trying to hide,” Morel said the strike also makes it clear to any other al-Qaeda members in Afghanistan that they should be concerned for their safety, despite the fact that the US no longer has troops there. Al-Zawahiri has long been a wanted man. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, then-President George W. Bush released a list of the FBI’s 22 most wanted terrorists, with al-Zawahiri at the top of the list along with Osama bin Laden. For years, al-Zawahiri was known as al-Qaeda’s No. 2, but many analysts believe he was really the mastermind behind the bin Laden operation.
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, left, sits with his adviser Ayman al-Zawahiri, during an interview with a Pakistani journalist at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan for an article published November 10, 2001. Getty Images Bin Laden was killed by US special forces in 2011, but al-Zawahiri eluded attempts on his life and an international manhunt until his death. Zawahiri continued to release video statements, including one on September 11, 2021, although it was unclear whether this recording was new or old. For years he was rumored to be dead and the US offered $25 million for information leading to his arrest. Andrew Ansbro, president of the FDNY Firefighters Association, in a statement Monday thanked Mr. Biden for “helping bring another level of closure to everyone affected by these attacks.” — CBS News’ Arden Farhi, Nancy Cordes, Andres Triay, Ahmad Muktar, Pat Milton and Olivia Gazis contributed to this report.