Us Kills Al Qaeda Leader Ayman Al Zawahiri In Successful Counter Terror Operation In Afghanistan

President Biden announced on Monday that the US government had killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a “successful” counterterrorism operation in Afghanistan that removed the terrorist from the battlefield “once and for all” and degraded the terrorist network’s capability to work. The United States Government, on July 30 at 9:48 p.m. ET, and at 6:18 A.M. Kabul time, launched a “precision counterterrorism operation,” killing Zawahiri, who served as Osama bin Laden’s deputy during the 9/11 attacks and as his successor in 2011 after bin Laden’s death. Biden, in a speech to the American people on Monday night, said that “justice has been served” and warned those who seek to harm the United States. Biden explained that Zawahiri had been “coordinating al Qaeda affiliates around the world” since bin Laden’s death in 2011, including “setting priorities to provide operational guidance that requires and inspires attacks against US targets.” WHO IS AYMAN AL ZAWAHIRI? AL Qaeda Leader Killed In Afghanistan Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri sit side by side (Hamid Mir/Editor/Ausaf Newspaper for Daily Dawn/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo) Biden said Zawahiri had made videos, among other things, in recent weeks calling on his followers to “attack the United States and our allies.” “Now, justice has been served and this terrorist leader is no more,” Biden said. “People around the world no longer need to fear the vicious and determined killer.” “The United States continues to demonstrate our resolve and our ability to defend the American people against those who seek to harm us,” the president continued. “We’re reiterating tonight that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you’re a threat to our people, the United States will find you and get you out.” The president explained that he “authorized a precision strike that would remove him from the battlefield once and for all.” Biden gave the final approval to “go get him” on July 25. DEMOCRATS JOIN DEMOCRATS PRAISE BIDEN ON DEATH OF AL Qaeda LEADER ZAVAHIRI “I am sharing this news with the American people now, after confirming the complete success of the mission through the hard work of the counterterrorism community and our key allies and partners,” Biden said, adding that his administration has also kept its leaders informed Congress. A senior administration official said Monday that there were no civilian casualties as a result of the operation. Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri speaks on the 11th anniversary of the death of Usama bin Laden (AP Photo/Mazhar Ali Khan, File) The president, speaking about his decision to withdraw US military forces from Afghanistan last August, said he had decided that “the United States no longer needs thousands of boots on the ground in Afghanistan to protect America from terrorists who want to harm us ». “And I promised the American people that we continue to conduct effective counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan and beyond,” Biden said. “We have done just that.” Biden said killing Zawahiri helps “never again allow Afghanistan to become safe for terrorists because he’s gone.” “We’re going to make sure nothing else happens — you know, it can’t be a stronghold against the United States,” Biden said of Afghanistan. “We will make sure it doesn’t happen. This operation is clear evidence that we will, can and always will deliver on this official promise.” Officials said Monday that Zawahiri “continued to pose an active threat to the persons, interests, and national security of the United States” and explained that the U.S. government has “multiple sources of information through multiple methods that allowed us to confirm that this was Zawahiri and that we achieved our goal”. ADMIN BIDEN WARNED NOT TO DELETE REPORTS AFTER ACTION ON AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL The official said the US government identified Zawahiri at a location in Kabul. “The Al-Zawahiri family has engaged in a long-standing terrorist business that we believe was designed to prevent anyone from following them in Zawahiri,” the official explained, noting that the government identified Zawahiri’s wife, daughter and children in a safe house in Kabul this year. In early April, Biden administration officials, including White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, were briefed on this information, which was later shared with the president. Zawahiri was in a safe house, the construction of which US government officials investigated so that they could “confidently conduct an operation to kill him” without threatening the structural integrity of the building while minimizing the risk for the citizens and the Zawahiri family. Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri, FBI “Most Wanted” The official explained that “only a very small and select group of officials in key agencies were brought into the process and discussions at the initial stage” and briefed on the developing information. “The president has convened several meetings over the past few weeks with his key advisers and cabinet members to carefully review the information and assess the best course of action to target Zawahiri,” the official explained, noting that Biden informed about the developments. of the targets in May and June. On July 1, Biden was briefed on a proposed operation in the White House Situation Room by key members of his Cabinet—including CIA Director William Burns, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Christine Abizaid , as well as other national security officials. “The president was, as always, deeply engaged in briefing and immersed in information. He asked detailed questions about what we knew and how we knew,” the official explained, noting that the president sought explanations for “the lighting, the weather, the structural materials and other factors that could affect the success of this operation and reduce the risk of civilian casualties.” ALQAEDA CHIEF AYMAN AL ZAWAHIRI KILLED IN DRONE COMMISSION: 9/11 FAMILIES REACT “He was particularly focused on ensuring that every step had been taken to ensure that the business would minimize that risk and wanted to understand the basis on which we had confidence in our assessment,” the official continued. Biden then asked the intelligence community to prepare a series of impact analyzes that they could fully understand and asked the US government to “prepare to manage the consequences of the strike in the region and beyond.” Biden and officials met several times in person in the White House situation room during June and July to “pressure test” the intelligence. The official explained that interagency lawyers also reviewed intelligence reports to confirm “the legal basis for the operation.” This image taken from a video released by al-Sahab, al-Qaeda’s media arm, on April 5, 2022, shows al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri speaking. In the rare video, Al Zawahiri praises Muskan Khan, an Indian Muslim woman who defied a hijab ban in February, revealing the first evidence in months that he is still alive. (Al-Sahab via AP) “They confirmed that Zawahiri was a legitimate target based on his continued leadership role in al-Qaida and his involvement and operational support for al-Qaida attacks,” the official said. President Biden authorized the airstrike on July 25 after meeting with officials. The official said the president sought “the input of each participant” and said “everyone strongly recommends approval of this goal.” “At the end of the meeting, the president authorized a precise, tailored air strike on the condition that a strike minimizes, to the greatest extent possible, the risk of civilian casualties,” the official explained, noting that the administration could launch a strike “from moment when there was an opportunity”. On July 30 the strike was carried out by unmanned aerial vehicles. Two hellfire missiles were fired at Zawahiri and he was killed. A senior government official said the government recognized Zawahiri on “multiple occasions for extended periods of time on the balcony, where he was eventually hit.” “We are confident through our intelligence sources and methods, including multiple intelligence streams, that we killed Zawahiri and no other person,” the official said, noting that members of his family were present “in other parts of the safe house at the time. of the strike and were deliberately not targeted and were unscathed.” “We have no indication that civilians were injured in the attack,” the official said. “Zawahiri’s death deals a significant blow to al-Qaeda and will degrade the organization’s ability to operate, including against the US homeland,” the official explained. “This action keeps true to the president’s solemn promise to protect Americans from terrorist threats, including threats that may emanate from Afghanistan.” The Biden administration closed the US Embassy in Kabul and withdrew all military assets from Afghanistan on August 31, 2021, ending the United States’ longest war. “Even as the president ended two decades of war in Afghanistan by removing American servicemen and women from harm there, he promised that we would build a capability from outside the country to detect and counter terrorist threats against Americans,” the official said. “He succeeded with this action as US forces demonstrated an extraordinary ability to build an intelligence picture of the world’s most wanted terrorist and then take precise action to remove him from the battlefield.” The official added that the president’s decision “made the world safer and brought a…