Officials: U.S. killed top Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri
The United States killed Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike over the weekend, several current and former U.S. officials told The New York Times and The Washington Post.
Al-Zawahiri, 71, was in a house in Kabul, Afghanistan, officials told the Times. They added that the strike was not conducted by the U.S. military and there were no civilian casualties. One U.S. analyst told the Times the home belonged to an aide of a senior Taliban government official.
The Taliban issued a statement on Monday condemning the drone strike, which it said took place in the affluent Sherpur area of Kabul. Al Qaeda found refuge in Afghanistan during the 1990s, amid the Taliban's first time in power. When the Taliban recaptured the government last August, its leaders claimed it would not let Al Qaeda and other terror organizations have safe haven there, but al-Zawahiri's "return to Kabul with the Taliban takeover raises questions about the group's commitment to keeping Al Qaeda out of the country," the Times writes.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A surgeon by training, al-Zawahiri was part of Al Qaeda's top leadership during the planning and execution of the September 11 attacks. Both al-Zawahiri and Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden escaped Afghanistan after the attacks, and when bin Laden was killed in 2011 during a U.S. raid in Pakistan, al-Zawahiri was promoted to leader of the terror group.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Say Nothing: 'sensational' dramatisation of Patrick Radden Keefe's bestselling book
The Week Recommends The series is a 'powerful reminder' of the Troubles
By The Week UK Published
-
Joy: fertility film starring Bill Nighy offers 'dose of seasonal cheer'
The Week Recommends The film about the invention of the fertility treatment is 'unassuming' but may 'sneak up on you'
By The Week UK Published
-
The problem with 'Cool Girl Lit'
Talking Point Has the ultra-popular book genre gone too far in 'commodifying' women's vulnerability?
By Tess Foley-Cox Published
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red Sea
Speed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacks
speed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages released
Speed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'
Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
By The Week UK Published
-
Tuberville's military promotions block is upending lives, combat readiness, 3 military branch chiefs say
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Ukraine's counteroffensive is making incremental gains. Does it matter in the broader war?
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
US commissions first-ever Navy ship in a foreign port
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
British spy chief, Wagner video suggest Prigozhin is alive and freely 'floating around'
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published