Biden Addresses Nation After Top Al Qaeda Leader Al-Zawahri Killed

Updated at 7:40 p.m.WASHINGTON — A CIA drone strike has killed Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri at Kabul in Afghanistan, President Biden announced, hailing the death of the “mastermind” of the terrorist group.“Justice has been delivered,” Mr. Biden said. Taking the strike against al-Zawahri as an example, he warned others who might intend harm against America that no matter how long it would take, “the United States will find you and take you out.”Mr. Biden vowed Afghanistan would not again be allowed to become a “launching pad” for terrorist attacks against America.White House officials said “there were no civilian casualties” in the strike on al-Zawahri.An American ground team was present in Afghanistan to support the strike and has since pulled out, a senior intelligence official said.Al-Zawahri’s death eliminates the figure who more than anyone shaped Al Qaeda, first as Osama bin Laden’s deputy starting in 1998, then as his successor. Together, he and bin Laden turned the jihadi movement’s guns to target the United States, carrying out the deadliest attack ever on American soil — the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.The attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon made bin Laden America’s Enemy No. 1. But he likely could never have carried it out without his deputy. Bin Laden provided al-Qaida with charisma and money, but al-Zawahri brought tactics and organizational skills needed to forge militants into a network of cells in countries around the world.Their bond was forged in the late 1980s, when al-Zawahri reportedly treated the Saudi millionaire bin Laden in the caves of Afghanistan as Soviet bombardment shook the mountains around them.Mr. Biden made his televised remarks Monday evening from the balcony off the White House Blue Room as he remains in isolation in the residence while he continues to test positive for Covid.Speaking on August 31, 2021, after the last American troops left Afghanistan, Mr. Biden said the United States would not let up on its fight against terrorism in that country or elsewhere.“We will maintain the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan and other countries,” he said. “We just don’t need to fight a ground war to do it.” Previewing the strike that would occur 11 months later, Mr. Biden said at the time, “We have what’s called over-the-horizon capabilities, which means we can strike terrorists and targets without American boots on the ground — or very few, if needed.”There have been rumors of al-Zawahri’s death on and off for several years. But a video surfaced in April featuring him praising a Indian Muslim woman who had defied a ban on wearing a hijab, or headscarf. That footage was the first proof in months that he was still alive.A statement from Afghanistan’s Taliban government confirmed the airstrike, but did not mention al-Zawahri or any other casualties.It said it “strongly condemns this attack and calls it a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement,” the 2020 American pact with the Taliban that led to the withdrawal of American forces.“Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan, and the region,” the statement said.Current and former officials began hearing Sunday afternoon that al-Zawahri had been killed in a drone strike, but the administration delayed releasing the information until his death could be confirmed, according to one person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.

Biden Addresses Nation After Top Al Qaeda Leader Al-Zawahri Killed

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