A recent CIA drone strike out in Afghanistan was reportedly successful in killing off Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who has been the leader of the expansive Islamic terrorist group in the wake of the U.S. Navy SEALs assault that ended in the death of Osama bin Laden back in 2011, according to reports.
Bret Baier, an anchor for Fox News, officially confirmed the news in a live segment on Monday afternoon. He stated that intelligence sources have stated that this was a big win for the U.S. Armed Forces.
The death of Al-Zawahiri was later confirmed by both The Washington Post and Associated Press.
One senior official within the administration issued a statement to the press that “over the weekend, the United States conducted a counterterrorism operation against a significant Al Qaeda target in Afghanistan.”
“The operation was successful and there were no civilian casualties,” continued the official.
As one of the most wanted terrorists on the planet, Al-Zawahiri was responsible for overseeing the September 11, 2001, terror attacks against the U.S.
Quite a few experts seem to think that Al-Zawahiri was killed as part of an operation back in November of 2020 but a recent report from the United Nations from earlier last month stated that he was “confirmed to be alive” and was “communicating freely.”
“Member States note that al-Zawahiri’s apparent increased comfort and ability to communicate has coincided with the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan and the consolidation of power of key [Al Qaeda] allies within their de facto administration,” explained the report.
The Taliban once again gained control of Afghanistan in the wake of the disastrous withdrawal from the country last year that was ordered by Democrat President Joe Biden.
The next person in the leadership line of succession is Saif al Adel, a longtime Al Qaeda leader and veteran, followed by “Abdal-Rahman al-Maghrebi, Yazid Mebrak, the emir of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and Ahmed Diriye, the leader of Shabaab, which is Al Qaeda’s branch in East Africa,” issued a report from the Long War Journal.
Previously, Al-Zawahiri was a doctor out of Egypt that went on to kick start the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ), which tried to initiate a coup and overthrow the government of the nation, and then later officially merged with Al Qaeda proper in 1998.
One FBI most wanted bulletin for Al-Zawahiri explained that he had been indicted for his part in the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya.