Ayman al-Zawahiri: Al-Qaeda leader dies in US drone strike – reports

The US has killed the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a counter-terrorism operation in Afghanistan, United states media are reporting.

They say he was killed within a drone strike carried out by the CIA within the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Sunday.

There is no independent confirmation of this at present.

Nevertheless , the White Home says that Leader Joe Biden will offer details of the procedure in Afghanistan within the next few hours.

CBS News said three sources had verified the killing of the al-Qaeda leader. The newest York Times, Washington Post and CNN also quoted mysterious sources identifying the particular victim.

A mature US official earlier confirmed there have been a “successful” operation against a “significant” al-Qaeda target within Afghanistan.

The operation took place over the weekend plus there were no civilian casualties, the official additional.

At the same time, a Taliban spokesman reported that an US drone strike had taken place upon Sunday in a residential area of Kabul.

He described it as a clear violation of international principles.

“Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past two decades and are against the passions of the United States of America, Afghanistan and the region, ” the spokesman added.

Zawahiri, an eye surgeon that helped found the Egyptian Islamic Jihad militant group, took over the leadership associated with al-Qaeda following the killing by US makes of Osama Rubbish bin Laden in May 2011.

Before that, Zawahiri was often referred to as Rubbish bin Laden’s right-hand guy and the chief ideologue of al-Qaeda.

He or she is believed by a few experts to have already been the “operational brains” behind the 11 September 2001 assaults in the United States.

Ayman al-Zawahiri was the ideological brains at the rear of al-Qaeda.

An Egyptian doctor who had been imprisoned in the 1980s for involvement within militant Islam, this individual left the country right after his release and became involved in chaotic international jihadist movements.

Eventually he settled in Afghanistan and joined pushes with a rich Saudi, Osama Bin Laden. Together they announced war on the US and organised the particular 11 September 2001 attacks.

This took a decade just for Bin Laden to be tracked down plus killed by the ALL OF US. After that, Zawahiri believed leadership of al-Qaeda, but he became a remote and limited figure, only from time to time issuing messages.

When his death will be confirmed, the US may herald it as being a victory, particularly after the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan last year, yet Zawahiri held fairly little sway as new groups plus movements such as Islamic State have become significantly influential. A new al-Qaeda leader will no doubt emerge, but he will probably have even much less influence than their predecessor.