How the CIA identified and killed Zawahiri

Following the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, officials had been watching for indications of Al Qaeda’s presence in the country

Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a U.S. strike in Afghanistan over the weekend, the biggest blow to the militant group since its founder Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011. Zawahiri had been in hiding for years and the operation to locate and kill him was the result of “careful patient and persistent” work by the counter-terrorism and intelligence community, a senior administration official told reporters.

Zawahiri had been rumoured variously to be in Pakistan’s tribal area or inside Afghanistan. Speaking on  condition of anonymity, an official provided the following details on the operation: For several years, the U.S. government had been aware of a network that it assessed supported Zawahiri, and over the past year, following the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, officials had been watching for indications of Al Qaeda’s presence in the country. This year, officials identified that Zawahiri’s family – his wife, his daughter and her children – had relocated to a safe house in Kabul and subsequently identified Zawahiri at the same location.

Over several months, intelligence officials grew more confident that they had correctly identified Zawahiri at the Kabul safe house and in early April started briefing senior administration officials. Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor, subsequently briefed President Joe Biden. “We were able to build a pattern of life through multiple independent sources of information to inform the operation,” the official said. Once Zawahiri arrived at the Kabul safe house, officials were not aware of him leaving it and they identified him on its balcony - where he was ultimately struck - on multiple occasions, the official said. The strike was ultimately carried out at 9:48 p.m. ET (0148 GMT) on July 30 by a drone firing so-called “hellfire” missiles.

Biden says justice has been delivered

Ayman al-Zawahiri

The United States killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a strike in Afghanistan over the weekend, President Joe Biden said on Monday. Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who had a $25 million bounty on his head, helped coordinate the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. “Now justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more,” Biden, who is recovering from COVID-19, said.  “No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out.”  Biden said Zawahiri had been mastermind or played a key role in attacks on USS Cole and U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

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