A US missile hit killed him early Monday morning. Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiriwho took over the reins of the terrorist organization after the death of bin Laden. Zawahiri lived in a wealthy district of Kabul, a few dozen meters from the now empty American embassy in the Afghan capital.

Zawahiri’s murder marks the end of a 21-year manhunt. “Justice has been served and this terrorist is no more. I must make it clear once again: no matter how necessary, wherever you hide, if you pose a threat to our people, the United States will hunt you down and destroy you,” President Biden said during his seven-minute televised speech.

No more loss

US intelligence tracked down Zawahiri earlier this year in Kabul. With the US president’s approval a week ago, the CIA fired two Hellfire missiles, killing Zawahiri as he sat on the balcony, with no further loss of life. The assassination of a wanted al-Qaeda leader, while a major success for President Biden, raises questions about the American decision to flee Afghanistan last summer. According to US intelligence, Zawahiri moved to Kabul in January, believing it was safe there.

Violation of agreements

The death of bin Laden’s successor comes after a 21-year manhunt.

The success of the bombing, the first since the Americans left the country, will strengthen Biden’s argument that the US is capable of waging war against terrorist organizations without deploying significant forces on the ground. But the fact that Zawahiri has taken refuge in Afghanistan shows that the Taliban have no intention of fulfilling their obligations to the West and not providing safe haven to terrorists. A US official called Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul a “clear violation” of the written agreements.

In his brief speech from the terrace of the White House against the backdrop of the monuments of the American capital, Biden promised not to allow the creation of a new terrorist hideout. “We will not allow Afghanistan to become a new haven for terrorists again. It cannot become a base for attacks against the US. We will make sure that nothing like this happens, ”the American president emphasized.

Republicans

While GOP officials praised the operation to assassinate Zawahiri, the opposition recalled Biden’s responsibility for the disorderly escape from Afghanistan and the danger he posed to the United States. Republican Senator James Inhofe stressed that Zawahiri’s presence in Afghanistan “reflects the complete failure of Biden’s policy towards this country.” By contrast, President Trump’s representative in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, who negotiated the original US troop withdrawal agreement, said the successful bombing demonstrated that the US “is capable of defending its interests in Afghanistan without the presence of a large and costly military force.” in the country.”

Zawahiri’s death in Kabul, and not in Pakistan, where everyone believed he was hiding, demonstrates not only the porous nature of the country’s borders, but also al-Qaeda’s tactics of exploiting facilities, complexes and buildings in both countries. However, despite the CIA’s close ties to Pakistani intelligence, Zawahiri continued to live quietly in the heart of the Afghan capital.

Organization intellectual and former physician

The figure of Zawahiri next to bin Laden was familiar, but the 71-year-old doctor did not win the fame and international fame of his mentor. Despite this, Zawahiri was considered the organization’s intellectual, largely due to his excellent knowledge of Sunni teachings. The Egyptian-born Zawahiri was convicted as an accomplice to the assassins of Anwar Sadat in 1981 and later integrated his organization into Al-bin Laden. -Qaeda seeking to expand its influence. Zawahiri, known for his organizational spirit and education, sought to rally as many Islamic organizations around Al-Qaeda as possible, unleashing a global holy war (jihad) aimed at exterminating as many Americans as possible not only in the Middle East, but also in the world. protected capitals of the West.

11 September

Some US intelligence officials believe that Zawahiri was the one who insisted on organizing the September 11 attacks on US soil.

Analysts believe that Zawahiri’s death will not change attitudes within al-Qaeda. Unlike the charismatic bin Laden, Zawahiri was an effective leader without the necessary glamor of a sacred warlord.

“Zawahiri was more important to al-Qaeda strategically than operationally. He led the organization through difficult times such as the Arab Spring and the rise of the Islamic State. He kept the organization alive while its offshoots continued to take orders from him, although over time they gained relative autonomy, ”says Colin Clark, an analyst at Soufan Group.

After bin Laden was assassinated in 2011 in Abbottabad, Pakistan, Zawahiri released a 28-minute video. Against the background of a Soviet-made rifle, the new leader of al-Qaeda vowed that bin Laden would continue to terrorize America even after his death.

decapitation video

Zawahiri passionately denounced the rise of the Islamic State and the practice of killing Shia Muslims in their attacks, while he voiced his dissent by releasing videos of the beheadings of “infidels” I.K. believing that this method scares off potential converts.

Zawahiri grew up in Cairo in an urban family, where his father taught pharmacology at the university, and his uncle was the great imam of the historical al-Azhar seminary.

ninja rocket

The rockets hit a residence in Kabul’s Sherpur district, home to diplomats and opium barons. The heads of the Taliban government now live in the neighborhood. After the attack, members of the Haqqani network, which is collaborating with the Taliban government, tried to hide that Zawahri was the victim in order not to reveal that the Taliban were violating the terms of the Doha agreement, which does not allow Afghanistan to be a base of re-terrorists. Earlier this year, US intelligence learned that Zawahiri’s wife, daughter, and grandchildren had moved to Kabul’s Sherpur district. The family even observed the rules of secret life, avoiding going out and beingware of surveillance. The CIA, however, confirmed the presence of a target at the Sherpur residence, and on July 1, the director of the agency briefed President Biden and showed him a mock-up of the complex, seeking approval for an operation to kill the Sunni terrorist. According to press reports, Zawahiri was killed by a “ninja missile”, which does not use an explosive charge, but kills by releasing sharp blades on impact.