Aug. 1 (UPI) — The United States has killed the top Al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan in a drone strike over the weekend, a senior administration official said according to a White House report later confirmed by Pres. Joe Biden.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, who took over Al Qaeda after the death of Osama bin Laden, was killed in the strike.
Al-Zawahiri is believed to be one of the central planners behind the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. He was a physician and founder of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad before taking over the top ranks of the Al Qaeda network.
“Over the weekend, the United States conducted a counterterrorism operation against a significant Al Qaeda target in Afghanistan,” a senior Biden administration official said on condition of anonymity. “The operation was successful and there were no civilian casualties.”
Biden made comments at about 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. See the video below.
