BY: Nasir Mehmood Kiyani
TOP Al Qaeda leader and Osama Bin Laden’s close aide Aymen Al Zawahri has been neutralized in CIA’s intelligence-based counter-terrorism operation in Kabul.
Former Egyptian eye surgeon and head of banned terrorist organization was residing in a safe house in Kabul when a US drone targeted him with a “hellfire” missile. US president Joe Biden confirmed this kill during a live address and 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.”
According to a senior US security official, the CIA’s active network was tracking the top Al-Qaida figure for the last one year.
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. For last three months, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was taking regular briefings and was reporting the insides to US President Bidden.
CIA Director William Burns was supervising this intelligence operation and on July 1, 2022, president Biden was given a detailed briefing in the White house by CIA officials regarding the finalization of the plan.
After a final briefing on July 25, 2022, president Bidden gave the green signal and authorized the drone strike to target the most wanted Al-Qaeda leader. Drone strike was carried out on July 30 at 9:48 PM when Al Qaeda chief was standing on the balcony of his safe house.
After this successful intelligence-based operation, America’s FBI updated the status of Ayman al Zawahri as “Deceased.”
After the killing of AL Qaeda’s head, the US president tweeted, “On Saturday, at my direction, the United States successfully conducted an airstrike in Kabul, Afghanistan that killed the emir of al-Qaeda: Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Justice has been delivered.”
The drone strike in Kabul annoyed the Taliban government. Reacting to the situation, the Taliban government spokesperson said, “The drone strike is a violation of our sovereignty and the Doha Agreement.”
