Al-Zawahiri, a doctor and surgeon from Egypt, has led Al Qaeda since US commandos killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011. He was also credited with being the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York, which killed nearly 3,000 people. There was a price of 25 million dollars (24 million euros) on his head. He had been on the run since the September 11 attacks.
Al-Zawahiri, 71, was killed on Sunday while standing on his balcony in the Afghan city of Kabul. “Justice has been done, this terrorist leader is gone,” Biden said in a speech from the White House on Monday. “We never give up.”
Prevent civilian deaths
The US president was told by his security services in April that al-Zawahiri was probably in a safehouse in Kabul. The house was closely monitored and the behavior of the terrorist leader was mapped. The US found out, among other things, that he was regularly on his balcony for long periods of time.
According to a top American official, preventing civilian deaths was a top priority and has succeeded. Al-Zawahiri’s wife and children were also unharmed.
US prosecutors accused al-Zawahiri not only of involvement in the September 11, 2001 attacks, but also of involvement in the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. In addition, al-Zawahiri claimed responsibility for the bombing in London. public transport in 2005, which killed 52 people.
From a young age, al-Zawahiri had problems with the secular government in his native Egypt. He was still in high school when he and friends formed a jihadist group with the aim of overthrowing the regime of then-President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Later in life, he founded the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ), which merged with Al Qaeda in 1998.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Taliban had “grossly violated” the 2020 Doha Agreement by providing shelter and protection to al-Zawahiri. In that Doha agreement, the Taliban promised to tackle terrorist groups that threaten the security of the United States, such as Al Qaeda, in Afghanistan.
The Taliban have not yet announced the death of the Al Qaeda leader, but have confirmed in a statement that an attack on Kabul has taken place. A spokesperson condemned the action by the US. The Americans did not inform the Taliban government in advance of the plans for the drone attack. In his speech, President Biden vowed that the US would not allow Afghanistan to become a safe haven for terrorists again.