President Biden addressed the nation Monday night after a counterterrorism operation that killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri. Three sources confirmed to CBS News that al-Zawahiri was killed in a U.S. counterterrorism strike in Afghanistan over the weekend.
“He carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens, American service members, American diplomats, and American interests,” President Biden said in his remarks. “…Now, justice has been delivered. And this terrorist leader is no more.”
With al-Zawahiri’s death, all of top plotters of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are either dead or captured.
The strike comes nearly one year after U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan, something that was not lost on the president. The Biden administration has long made the argument that it can continue to address terrorist threats to the American people without boots on the ground.
Two intelligence sources familiar with the matter said the strike was carried out by the CIA. A senior administration official said there were no civilian casualties, something the president reiterated.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Monday confirmed an airstrike conducted by a drone in Kabul. He said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan views that as a clear violation of international principles.
The Taliban said the strike took place in a residential neighborhood in Kabul.
On a call with reporters Monday evening, a senior administration official said the U.S. government had multiple, independent sources confirming al-Zawahiri’s whereabouts at a safehouse. He was ultimately taken out by a drone at 9:48 p.m. ET Saturday while he was on the balcony of the safe house, and his family members were in different rooms of the house. The U.S. government, the senior administration official said, has a high level of confidence that no one else was killed in the strike.
The senior administration official said the strike was a result of careful, patient and persistent work by counterterrorism officials over the course of months and years. The official also noted the quick, decisive action of the president once they determined where the al Qaeda leader was located.
The senior administration official said the president received regular updates as the U.S. government zeroed in on al-Zawahiri. Once the safehouse was located, the president wanted to understand more about the layout of the safehouse’s doors and windows to avoid other casualties. In a July 25 meeting, the president authorized a precise, tailored air strike that would minimize civilian deaths as much as possible, the senior administration official said.
Al-Zawahiri has long been a wanted man. After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, then-President George W. Bush released a list of the FBI’s 22 most wanted terrorists, with al-Zawahiri near the top of the list along with Osama bin Laden.
For years, al-Zawahiri was known as al Qaeda’s No. 2, but many analysts believe he was really the brains behind bin Laden’s operation.
Bin Laden was killed by U.S. special forces in 2011, but al-Zawahiri eluded attempts on his life and an international manhunt until his death. With al-Zawahiri’s death, all of top plotters of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are either dead or captured.
Zawahiri continued to release video statements, including one on Sept. 11, 2021, although it was unclear if that recording was new or old. It was rumored for years that he had died, and the U.S. offered $25 million for information that could lead to his apprehension.
— CBS News’ Arden Farhi, Nancy Cordes, Andres Triay, Ahmad Muktar, Pat Milton and Olivia Gazis contributed to this report.
