Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri killed in drone strike by US

Sources on Monday cited that Ayman al-Zawahiri, leader of Al-Qaeda have been killed in an Afghan drone hit by US.

Sources on Monday cited that Ayman al-Zawahiri, leader of Al-Qaeda have been killed in an Afghan drone hit by US.

Taliban’s Twitter account was used to confirm the attack. Zabiullah Mujahid said, “An air strike was carried out on a private residence in Sherpur region of Kabul city on July 31. The security and intelligence agencies of the Islamic Emirate looked into the event and initial results revealed that the hit was carried out by an American drone.” The speaker further stated that “the nature of the incident was not evident at first.”

An obvious breach of international law and the Doha Agreement, according to Mujahid, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan “strongly condemns this strike on whatever pretext.”

The death hasn’t been officially acknowledged by the US government, though. White House said on Monday that President Joe Biden will discuss “a successful counterterrorism campaign” against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan at 7:30 p.m. (local time).

According to a top government official, “US carried out a counterterrorism operation over the weekend on a critical Al Qaeda target in Afghanistan. No civilians were hurt during the operation, making it a success.”

11 years after the US murdered Osama bin Laden, Zawahiri, who recently turned 71, has continued to be a prominent international emblem of the organization. He served as Osama bin Laden’s personal physician at one point.

After Laden was chased down by US SEAL commandos in Jalalabad, Pakistan, he took over as the group’s leader.

Up to USD 25 million in rewards were on the table from the US State Department for information that resulted in Zawahiri’s arrest.