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The news that Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al-Qaeda, was killed in Kabul in a CIA drone operation over the weekend brought celebration from Democrats and Republicans in the United States, as well as some foreign governments.
President Biden announced the death of one of the world’s most wanted terrorists in a televised speech Monday from a White House balcony, reminiscent of President Barack Obama’s speech in 2011 when US forces went kill Osama bin Laden in a raid against the aliens. Qaeda founder’s compound in Pakistan.
Zawahiri’s killing in Afghanistan is seen as a political victory for the Biden administration nearly a year after a much-criticized U.S. withdrawal from the country, which left it under Taliban control and sparked fears that Al-Qaeda could reassert itself there.
Obama called the news “proof that it is possible to eliminate terrorism without being at war in Afghanistan,” adding that he hoped Zawahiri’s death would provide “a small measure of peace to the families of 9/11 and to all those who have suffered at their hands.” of Al-Qaida”.
The Taliban government “strongly condemned the attack,” said chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, who called the strike a violation of international norms and the accord signed in Doha, Qatar, by the United States and the Taliban on 2020
But a senior Biden administration official said the al-Qaeda leader’s presence in Kabul constitutes a violation of the Doha agreement and that senior members of the Taliban’s Haqqani faction were aware that Zawahiri was living in the capital Afghan and took steps after the strike to cover up. his presence
Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of the world’s most wanted terrorists and the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks, was killed in a US drone strike on July 30. (Video: The Washington Post)
Messages of support came from lawmakers shortly after Biden’s speech. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised Biden “for his strong leadership,” while Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (DN.Y.) called the mission “a major accomplishment” that bring justice to one of the people “who helped orchestrate the cold. bloody murder of thousands of my fellow New Yorkers on 9/11.”
Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), in a statement posted on Twitter Monday evening, similarly credited Biden for approving the drone operation, saying “the world is a better place and safer” without Zawahiri. But McConnell urged the administration to come up with a comprehensive security plan in Afghanistan in light of the fact that Zawahiri appeared to be living in central Kabul.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, wrote on social media that Zawahiri was “a monster responsible for the deaths of thousands of people around the world.” Two Senate Republicans, Joni Ernst (Iowa) and Marco Rubio (Florida), also issued statements late Monday, praising the US military and intelligence community for taking down the terrorist leader.
Who was Ayman al-Zawahiri, leader of Al-Qaeda and successor to Osama bin Laden?
But Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who has promoted conspiracy theories, including one suggesting 9/11 was a hoax, criticized Biden for trying to “act tough on TV.” Greene tweeted that while Zawahiri masterminded 9/11 and the 2000 bombing of the Navy destroyer Cole, “no one in America has been sweating an Al Qaeda attack lately or even heard of they”.
The group 9/11 Families United issued a statement expressing gratitude to US intelligence agencies and the military for the “sacrifices that have been made to remove this evil from our lives.” But the news is also a reminder, said President Terry Strada, that for full accountability, “President Biden must also hold the Saudi paymasters accountable for killing our loved ones,” referring to allegations that the Saudi Arabian government agents supported the 9. /11 plot. Saudi authorities have repeatedly denied this link. The 9/11 Commission noted in 2004 that it found no evidence that “the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi government officials financed Al Qaeda.”
After Biden’s speech, Saudi Arabia quickly released a statement welcoming the death of Zawahiri, who it said “led the planning and execution of heinous terrorist operations” that killed innocent people, including Saudi citizens.” The Persian Gulf kingdom became the target of al-Qaeda bombings after 9/11, most notably a 2003 attack on its capital, Riyadh, that killed 11 people and injured more than 120.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a close U.S. ally, later called Zawahiri’s death “a step toward a safer world,” while his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, said he hoped the relatives of the victims “find some consolation” in Zawahiri’s death. .
Ellen Francis contributed to this report.