Ayman al-Zawahiri killed in Kabul’s drone strike: US President Joe Biden confirms

WASHINGTON/KABUL, August 2 (SABAH): United States President Joe Biden on Tuesday confirmed that Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan.

During live remarks from the White House, Joe Biden said that there were no civilian casualties.

The drone strike indicates that the US has over the horizon capability to take out high-value targets and importantly without having any US footprints on the ground in Afghanistan. This drone attack is the first known U.S. strike inside Afghanistan since US troops and diplomats left the country in August 2021.

The killing of the al-Qaeda chief, who had a $25 million reward on his head, has raised questions about how the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) executed the operation. The CIA after the withdrawal of US-led foreign forces has no basis inside Afghanistan as well as in Pakistan, where the US operated after the 9/11 attacks.

Meanwhile, the Afghan government has strongly condemned the drone strike and lodged strong protest over it. Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in a statement said the drone strike is blatant violation of international principles and Doha agreement.

It is worth mentioning here that the United States killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a CIA drone strike in Kabul on Sunday.

There were speculations that Pakistan might have played a role in taking out the al-Qaeda chief. Speculations were triggered by a telephonic conversation between army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and the US Centcom chief 48-hour before the CIA strikes in the Afghan capital.