Killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri

Killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri

Part of the War on terror and Afghan conflict
President Joe Biden meets with his national security team on July 1 to discuss the drone strike on Ayman al-Zawahiri. The wooden box in front of Biden contains a replica of the house where al-Zawahiri was living in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Date	31 July 2022 (2022-07-31)
Time	c. 6:18 am[1] (UTC+04:30)
Location	Sherpur, Kabul, Afghanistan
Coordinates	34°32′03″N 69°10′33″E / 34.53417°N 69.17583°E / 34.53417; 69.17583
Type	Drone strike[1]
Executed by	Central Intelligence Agency's Special Activities Center

On July 31, 2022, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of the Salafi jihadist group al-Qaeda, was killed by a United States drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Al-Zawahiri was one of the planners of the September 11 attacks against the United States. He succeeded Osama bin Laden as leader of al-Qaeda after bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan on 2 May 2011.

He was located and tracked by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) months before his death. After receiving authorization from U.S. President Joe Biden to initiate the strike, the CIA fired two Hellfire missiles at the balcony of al-Zawahiri's house, killing him.^[1]

The strike came nearly a year after the conclusion of the War in Afghanistan. U.S. officials called al-Zawahiri's presence in Afghanistan a violation of the agreement for the withdrawal of American forces from the country, under which the Taliban would not allow al-Qaeda members any sanctuary. Following the strike, members of the Haqqani network attempted to cover up al-Zawahiri's death, although the U.S. was able to confirm it.^[1] In response to the strike, Biden released a statement announcing al-Zawahiri's death, calling it a "deliverance of justice".^[2]