Killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri
| Assassination of Ayman al-Zawahiri | |
|---|---|
| Part of the War on Terror | |
| Type | Drone strike[1] |
| Location | Near Sherpur, Kabul, Afghanistan |
| Planned by |  United States |
| Target | Ayman al-Zawahiri[1] |
| Date | 31 July 2022 About 6:18 a.m.[1] (local time, UTC+4:30) |
| Executed by |  Central Intelligence Agency |
| Casualties | Ayman al-Zawahiri |
| ||
|---|---|---|
|
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On 31 July 2022, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al-Qaeda following Osama bin Laden's death in 2011, was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan. Al-Zawahiri, who had helped plan the September 11 attacks, had gone into hiding following the attacks, and was located by the CIA months before the assassination. After receiving authorization from U.S. President Joe Biden to initiate the strike, the CIA fired two Hellfire missiles on the balcony of al-Zawahiri's house, killing him.[1]
The strike came nearly a year after the conclusion of the War in Afghanistan. As part of the withdrawal agreement made by former U.S. President Donald Trump and the Taliban and accepted by Biden, the Taliban agreed not to provide a safe haven for individuals involved with Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations and the U.S. agreed to only conduct military operations in Afghanistan with the consent of the Taliban government. U.S. officials called al-Zawahiri's presence in Afghanistan a violation of the agreement. Following the strike, members of the Haqqani network attempted to cover up al-Zawahiri's death, although the U.S. already had confirmed his death.[1] In response to the strike, Biden released a statement announcing al-Zawahiri's death, calling the strike a "deliverance of justice".[2]
Al-Qaeda has yet to name a successor to al-Zawahiri.[3] The strike has put into question the safety of Mark Frerichs, a 60-year-old civil engineer and the only known American hostage in Afghanistan.[4]
Attack
On 31 July 2022, at 6:18 a.m. local time, while al-Zawahiri was standing outside on a balcony in a residential house in the wealthy[5] downtown enclave of Sherpur in Kabul, Afghanistan, a U.S.-operated drone fired two AGM-114R9X Hellfire missiles at al-Zawahiri, killing him.
News of the event broke two days after the strike was conducted in order to wait for confirmation that al-Zawahiri was dead.[6] A senior administration official confirmed to reporters that over the weekend, a drone strike had taken place that eliminated a significant Al-Qaeda target in Afghanistan. Later that day, Biden confirmed that he had authorized the strike a week prior and that the U.S. Intelligence Community had tracked al-Zawahiri in early 2022 as he moved into Kabul.[7]
Reactions
A statement from the Taliban condemned the operation and said the strike was conducted on a residential house in the Sherpur area of Kabul.[8] A spokesman for the Taliban said: "Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan and the region".[9] The New York Times, citing an American analyst, reported that the house struck was owned by a top aide to Sirajuddin Haqqani, a senior official in the Taliban government.[8] A senior American official told the Times Zawahiri was struck by two missiles while standing on a balcony, and suggested that the type of missile used was the AGM-114R9X Hellfire, which uses blades instead of a conventional explosive warhead to minimize collateral damage.[8]
Some experts, such as the BBC's Security Correspondent Gordon Corera, question the purpose of killing Al-Zawahiri, as "Zawahiri held relatively little sway as new groups and movements such as Islamic State have become increasingly influential."[9] Greg Barton, chair of the Global Islamic Politics in the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation at Deakin University, said on Sky News Australia that Al-Zawahiri might be replaced by a “more effective and more able leader".[10]
The strike was criticised by conservative columnist Marc Thiessen for being conducted remotely, in comparison to the raid that killed Osama bin Laden being conducted by US Navy SEALs. Thiessen wrote that the drone strike left no opportunity to gain actionable information about upcoming operations, what he was doing in Kabul or with whom al-Zawahiri was meeting in Kabul, compared to the Osama bin Laden raid which provided actionable intelligence and insight into bin Laden’s role in Al-Qaeda. He compared this with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's comments in August 2021 about the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, in which he called the remaining Al-Qaeda operatives “remnants”.[11]
References
- ^ a b c d e Baker, Peter; Cooper, Helene; Barnes, Julian; Schmitt, Eric (1 August 2022). "U.S. Drone Strike Kills Ayman al-Zawahri, Top Qaeda Leader". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ Lee, Matthew; Merchant, Nomaan; Madhani, Aamer (1 August 2022). "Biden: Killing of al-Qaida leader is long-sought 'justice'". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ Liptak, Kevin; Atwood, Kylie; Bertrand, Natasha; Vazquez, Maegan; Judd, Donald; Walsh, Nick (1 August 2022). "US kills al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in drone strike in Afghanistan". CNN. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ Harris, Shane; Lamothe, Dan; DeYoung, Karen; Mekhennet, Souad; Constable, Pamela (1 August 2022). "U.S. kills al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in drone strike in Kabul". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ Norfolk, Simon (2011). "The districts of Wazir Akhbar Khan and Sherpur". Tate. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
- ^ Ward, Alexander; McLeary, Paul; Toosi, Nahal; Seligman, Lara (1 August 2022). "U.S. kills al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri in drone strike". Politico. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ Axelrod, Tal (1 August 2022). "Biden announces killing of al-Qaeda leader in Kabul: 'Justice has been delivered'". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ a b c Cooper, Helene; Barnes, Julian E.; Schmitt, Eric (1 August 2022). "Live Updates: U.S. Drone Strike Said to Have Killed Top Qaeda Leader". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ a b Gordon Corera; Gordon Corera (1 August 2022). "Ayman al-Zawahiri: Al-Qaeda leader killed in US drone strike". BBC. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
- ^ "Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri killed in CIA drone strike in Afghanistan, senior Biden administration official confirms". Sky News Australia. 2 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
- ^ Marc A. Thiessen (1 August 2022). "Zawahiri was in 'downtown Kabul' because of Biden's disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.