Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed by a US drone in Afghanistan.

US President Joe Biden confirmed on Monday 1^R Information leaked hours earlier in August to US media: Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a drone strike in Kabul over the weekend.

“On Saturday, on my orders, the United States launched an airstrike on Kabul, Afghanistan, which killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the emir of al-Qaeda.”He began during a short speech from the White House. “Justice has been served, this terrorist leader is no more”Joe Biden added.

The 71-year-old Egyptian was believed to be the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. Zawahiri, who took control of the terrorist organization after the death of Osama bin Laden, shot himself during a Washington-led ground operation in Pakistan. Inherited in 2011 from a weak system, he has multiplied the allegiances of “rights” and situations from the Arabian Peninsula to the Maghreb, from Somalia to Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.

In his televised address from the White House balcony in Washington, Joe Biden underscored the terrorist leader’s key role within al-Qaeda since the attacks: “ Zawahiri remained with bin Laden after 9/11. From his hideout, he coordinated al-Qaeda globally. His death would be a severe setback for al-Qaeda and would impair the group’s operational capabilities. »

There were no civilian casualties, Biden says

A US official said the drone strike was carried out without any US troops landing in the Afghan capital. “Even the most wanted terrorists in the world should be identified and taken down”. Ayman al-Zawahiri was spotted “He was finally beaten on the balcony again and again and for a long time” Through the strike in the Afghan capital, he added.

“This work is very well preparedJoe Biden welcomed. I gave the green light a week ago. No civilians were harmed, there was no collateral damage, and no member of Ayman al-Zawahiri’s family was injured. » The operation was the work of the CIA, America’s foreign intelligence agency. A reward of up to $25 million will be offered for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the al-Qaeda leader, the State Department said.

The death of Ayman al-Zawahiri will help many victims and relatives of victims of September 11 to mourn, according to the US president: ” Ground Zero in New York will always be there to remind the fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends, and 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 believe this decisive action [leur] Allows you to turn the page. »

A year after the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan

The death of al-Qaeda’s leader comes nearly a year after the chaotic withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, allowing the Taliban to regain control of the country after two decades.

This departure does not prevent operations from being carried out on the spot, Joe Biden recalled in his speech: “ No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you attack us, we will always be there to serve justice. I promised that we will continue to carry out counterintelligence operations in Afghanistan. My administration will continue to attack al-Qaeda’s interests. We will never stop, never give up, never let up. »

According to a US official, the presence of Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul is one “Clear Violation” Under the accords reached with the Taliban in Doha in 2020, the Islamists pledged not to welcome al-Qaeda on their soil, the official noted.

The terrorist organization had already lost its No. 2, Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, who was killed on the streets of Tehran in August 2020 by Israeli agents during a covert operation sponsored by Washington, the information was released at the time. The New York Times.

The United States announced in mid-July that Maher al-Aqal, the leader of the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, had been killed in a drone strike. “Significantly weakened IS’s ability to prepare, finance and conduct its operations in the region”According to a US military spokesman.