Killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri

rdf:langString Killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri

rdf:langString Central Intelligence Agency

rdf:langString Executed by

rdf:langString President Biden meets with his national security team to discuss the counterterrorism operation to take out al-Zawahiri.

rdf:langString Sherpur, Kabul, Afghanistan

rdf:langString the War on terror

rdf:langString Killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri

rdf:langString Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of the Salafi jihadist group al-Qaeda, was killed by a United States drone strike on 31 July 2022 in Kabul, Afghanistan. He was the successor of Osama bin Laden, who was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan on 2 May 2011. Al-Zawahiri, who had helped to plan the September 11 attacks against the U.S., had gone into hiding following the attacks, and was located by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) months before his death. After receiving authorization from U.S. President Joe Biden to initiate the strike, the CIA fired two Hellfire missiles at the balcony of al-Zawahiri's house, killing him. The strike came nearly a year after the conclusion of the War in Afghanistan. U.S. officials called al-Zawahiri's presence in Afghanistan a violation of the agreement for the withdrawal of American forces from the country, under which the Taliban would not allow al-Qaeda members any sanctuary. Following the strike, members of the Haqqani network attempted to cover up al-Zawahiri's death, although the U.S. was able to confirm it. In response to the strike, Biden released a statement announcing al-Zawahiri's death, calling the strike a "deliverance of justice".