On Monday, August 1, top Islamic terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri was reportedly killed by a US airstrike in a neighborhood of Kabul.
Discovering that Zawahiri was sheltered by the Taliban is not surprising, but his sudden killing is a shock for the world that did not realize an operation was being carried out.
Zawahiri, 71, was one of the world’s most wanted terrorists. Since the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011, Zawahiri had taken over the leadership of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda.
Al-Zawahiri’s Terror Biography
Zawahiri merged the Egyptian Islamic Jihad with al-Qaeda in 1998, leading to the modern group which was involved in the 9/11 attacks. A medical doctor by training, Zawahiri emerged as second only to bin Laden in his leadership of this horrific group.
US authorities have been searching for this leading al-Qaeda member since the 9/11 tragedy. News of the terrorist’s death spread quickly in various media outlets.
On Monday night, Joe Biden issued remarks, stating Zawahiri’s death indeed occurred and saying he himself was the one who authorized the terrorist’s death.
Zawahiri was killed in a specific area of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and was reportedly detected by a CIA drone that soon shot him. Officials say the attack was carried out without hitting any civilians.
Killing Zawahiri really does put a bow on War on Terror-era. World is shifting back to great power conflict rather than hunting non-state militants from the air by remote-control. Comes at perfect timing with ongoing war in Ukraine and ratcheting up tensions with Taiwan.
— Murtaza Hussain (@MazMHussain) August 2, 2022
A Win For Biden
Despite efforts by some to downplay this or credit only operators and the military, this clearly is a rare win for Biden and he deserves credit.
Biden mentioned the 9/11 attack and stressed he cannot forget the victims of the tragedy. Relatives of the 9/11 victims said they were relieved, but that doesn’t mean they feel 100% that justice has yet been done.
One group named 9/11 Justice is made up of members who have a direct connection to the 9/11 attack.
Among them are survivors, relatives of the victims, and first responders. The 9/11 Justice group says it is grateful to the president for the terrorist’s death, but much is still to be done.
They allege that Biden discredited documents showing Saudi Arabia’s connection to the fateful terrorist attack in September 2001.
The group called on Biden to continue supporting them and hold everyone accountable for the 9/11 attack, including Saudi Arabia, which is a close US ally.
Terry Strada, national president of 9/11 Families United, said those who funded the attacks are not being held accountable and this must happen.
Source just told me AQ chief and bin laden successor, Ayman Zawahiri, has been smoked. Hope it’s true. Rest in pieces.
— Eli Lake (@EliLake) August 1, 2022
Is the Doha Agreement Over?
The Doha agreement is also known as the Agreement to Bring Peace to Afghanistan.
It was between the US, US allies, and the Taliban. What happens now that the Taliban was found to be sheltering a terrorist and the U.S. has attacked inside Taliban territory?
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the Taliban government condemns Zawahiri’s killing and the U.S. violated international law and the Doha agreement with the strike.
In return, the U.S. accused the Taliban of violating the agreement by sheltering Zawahiri. Without a doubt, this will undermine a potential rapprochement between the Taliban and the U.S. in the future.
This article appeared in FreshOffThePress and has been published here with permission.
