US President Joe Biden confirmed on Monday 1is August the information that had leaked a few hours earlier in the American media: the leader of Al-Qaida, Ayman Al-Zawahiri was killed during the weekend during a drone strike.
He was considered the mastermind of the attacks of September 11, 2001, which killed nearly 3,000 people. Zawahiri, of Egyptian nationality, had taken control of the terrorist organization after the death of Osama Bin Laden, killed himself during a ground operation led by Washington in Pakistan. From a balcony of the White House in Washington, Joe Biden supported his major role since the attacks in a televised intervention: « Zawahiri was constantly with bin Laden during all this time after 9/11. From his hiding place he coordinated Al-Qaeda worldwide. His death constitutes a serious setback for Al Qaeda and will deteriorate the group’s ability to operate. Justice has been served, he is no longer of this world. »
“This mission was very well prepared. I gave the green light a week ago. There are no civilians affected, no collateral damage, no member of Ayman Al-Zawahiri’s family injured”, said the American president. It took place in Kabul, the Afghan capital, and was carried out not by the American army, but by a drone of the CIA, American foreign intelligence. The State Department was offering up to $25 million in rewards for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the al-Qaeda leader.
An elimination that will help the very many victims and relatives of victims according to the American president: “ Ground Zero in New York will always be there to remind us of the promise we made to the fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends, colleagues of those who died on September 11, 2001. Listen to me carefully, we will always be there to protect our citizens. We will never give up. I hope that this decisive action [leur] let’s turn the page”
One year after the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan
This announcement comes nearly a year after the chaotic withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan, which had allowed the Taliban to regain control of the country twenty years later.
No more American presence on the spot, but actions can still be carried out recalled Joe Biden: « No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, we will always be there to bring justice, should you attack us. I made a promise, we will continue to carry out counterintelligence actions in Afghanistan. My administration will continue to attack the interests of Al-Qaida. We never stop, we never give up, we won’t let go. »
The United States had also announced in mid-July that it had killed the leader of the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, Maher Al-Agal, during a drone strike, an operation which had “significantly weakened the ability of IS to prepare, finance and conduct its operations in the region”according to a US military spokesman.
