- The leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist network, Aiman al-Zawahiri, has been killed in a US anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan.
- Al-Sawahiri was killed in a targeted drone attack on a shelter in the Afghan capital Kabul over the weekend.
- No civilians were killed in the attack, a US government official said.
US President Joe Biden commented on the attack on the terrorist group at a short-notice appearance at the White House in Washington.
Justice has been served.
A US government official said the attack on al-Zawahiri had been prepared for months. He was finally killed when he stepped onto the balcony of his shelter in Kabul. There were no civilian casualties; according to US information, only Al-Sawahiri died in the attack.
Legend:
The Egyptian Al-Zawahiri succeeded Osama bin Laden.
Reuters
No US forces were in Kabul during the operation. She emphasized that according to US information, members of the Taliban leadership knew that the al-Qaeda boss was in Kabul. They would have clearly violated agreements with the USA.
Bin Laden’s deputy and successor
Egyptian Al-Zawahiri succeeded Osama bin Laden, who was thought to be the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. Bin Laden was killed by US special forces in Pakistan in 2011. Now the Americans also eliminated his successor.
The 71-year-old was the highest-ranking leader of al-Qaeda and continued to call for attacks against the United States, thus posing a threat. His death was a serious blow to the terrorist group, the government official said.
Almost a year ago, at the end of August 2021, the USA withdrew all troops from Afghanistan, ending international military operations in the country after almost 20 years. The Taliban had recently taken power in Kabul. The international withdrawal was made more difficult by their rapid campaign of conquest and turned out to be chaotic.
All in all, the American withdrawal from Afghanistan met with a great deal of international criticism and incomprehension. Biden, who was under pressure because of the debacle, had pledged at the time not to give up the fight against terrorism in the region.
Belated satisfaction
Viviane Manz, SRF foreign correspondent, says it is belated satisfaction for many people in the US that a mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks and others has been eliminated. “For President Biden, it’s fulfilling his promise that the United States can take action against terrorists without soldiers in Afghanistan.
However, according to US information, the Taliban are said to have known that al-Sawahiri lived in Kabul. That would mean that, contrary to the Taliban’s promises, Afghanistan is once again a haven for terrorists and is likely to remain so in the future.