President Joe Biden announced on Monday that Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri has been killed in a U.S. drone strike.
U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the military carried out two Hellfire missiles in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday at 6:18 a.m. local time.
“I authorized a precision strike that would remove him from the battlefield, once and for all,” Biden said in a speech from the White House.
Zawahri was one of the plotters behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. The Al-Qaeda leader remained a visible international symbol of the group, 11 years after the U.S. killed Osama bin Laden.
“Now, justice has been delivered and this terrorist leader is no more. People around the world no longer need to fear the vicious and determined killer,” Biden continued. “The United States continues to demonstrate our resolve and our capacity to defend the American people against those who seek to do us harm. We make it clear again tonight, that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out.”
U.S. intelligence determined with “high confidence” that the man killed was Zawahri, said a senior administration official.
“Zawahri continued to pose an active threat to U.S. persons, interests and national security,” the official said on a conference call. “His death deals a significant blow to al-Qaida and will degrade the group’s ability to operate.”
The strike comes one year after U.S. troops and diplomats left Afghanistan, prompting Taliban forces to rapidly seize control of the nation.
Explaining his decision to withdraw American soldiers from the country, the president said he felt that the “United States no longer needed thousands of boots on the ground in Afghanistan to protect America from terrorists who seek to do us harm, and I made a promise to the American people, that we continue to conduct effective counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan and beyond. We’ve done just that.”
Biden concluded his remarks by expressing gratitude to U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism communities, adding that he hopes Zawahiri’s death will bring some peace to the friends and families of 9/11 victims.
“To those who continue to seek to harm the United States, hear me now: We will always remain vigilant and we will act — and we will always do what is necessary to ensure the safety and security of Americans at home and around the globe,” the president said.
