“We know there are other Al Qaeda exponents in Afghanistan”. The spokesman for the American National Security Council, John Kirby, said in a press briefing, speaking of a “small number”.
“By giving protection to the leader of Al Qaeda, the Taliban have violated the Doha agreement”. The spokesman for the American National Security Council, John Kirby, said this, underlining that the US has told the Afghan leadership that if they want to “lead Afghanistan they cannot house terrorists”.
“Justice has been done”. Joe Biden, in isolation due to Covid, announces the killing of Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri from the balcony of the White House. An operation of “precision” and of absolute “success” which confirms the American determination against terrorism, says the American president.
The leader of Al Qaeda was killed in the night between Saturday 30 July and Sunday 31 July in Italy – to be exact at 21.48 on July 30 in Washington – during an operation conducted by the CIA with a drone from which two were launched. Hellfire missiles. It was on the balcony of a house in central Kabul when he was shot and killed.
Her family was in the house but in other areas and remained unharmed. The raid did not cause any civilian casualties, administration sources said. The house, according to rumors, was owned by an assistant adviser to one of the leaders of the Taliban, Sirajuddin Haqqani, a leading figure in the homonymous network of jihadist militiamen.
The members of the Haqqani network rushed to take control of the house, try to hide the fact that the leader of Al Qaeda was there and quickly move his family. Despite this the United States has evidence that al-Zawahri is dead.
The Taliban condemned the operation as a “clear violation of international principles and the Doha agreement. These actions are against the interests of the United States, Afghanistan and the region”, said the Taliban in a statement. Al-Zawahri, one of the masterminds of the 9/11 attacks, took over the reins of the terrorist organization in 2011 after the killing of Osama bin Laden, of whom he was for years the right hand man.
The raid that led to the killing of the Al Qaeda leader was planned for over six months, but recently plans have accelerated, with the turning point on July 1. During a meeting, the director of the CIA William Burns and the director of the American 007 Avril Haines explained the operation in detail to Biden, also presenting to the president a model of the house in which he was staying. Biden’s final go-ahead arrived on July 25th. The killing of the Al Qaeda leader, Biden points out, demonstrates the determination of the United States to strike at terrorist leaders. “No matter how long it takes, or where you hide, if you are a threat the United States will find you”, is the message sent by the American president.
“When I ended the US military mission in Afghanistan nearly a year ago, I decided that the United States no longer needed to have men in Afghanistan. At that moment I promised the Americans that we would continue to conduct effective counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan. We did. We will not allow Afghanistan to become a safe haven for terrorists, “adds Biden assuring that the United States will remain” always vigilant “and will” always do what is necessary to keep Americans safe at home and outside. We will not give up. never”.
Several times during his speech, Biden addresses the families of the victims of 9/11 hoping that the death of bin Laden’s right-hand man will help them move on. Described only broadly, the operation raises many doubts about how relations between the Taliban government and the United States will evolve now. Speaking of legal operation, Washington believes the Taliban violated the peace agreement by allowing the leader of Al Qaeda to enter the country. The Taliban, on the other hand, believe that it was the United States that violated the agreements with the raid.
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