The White House confirmed that the United States conducted a counter-terrorism operation in Afghanistan on July 30, which resulted in the elimination of the leader of al-Qaeda terrorist group Ayman al-Zawahiri, who ruled the group after the death of Osama bin Laden. RIA Novosti reports.
«On July 30 at 9.48 p.m. EST, or 06.18 a.m. on July 31 Kabul time, the United States conducted a precision counterterrorism operation in Kabul at the behest of the U.S. President. The operation was directed against the leader of al-Qaeda and led to his destruction,» a senior official of the U.S. administration told reporters at a special briefing.
She clarified that it was Ayman al-Zawahiri, who in the past served as Osama bin Laden’s deputy.
After the assassination of «terrorist number one» in 2011, al-Zawahiri headed the group and led it all these years.
«U.S. President Joe Biden has repeatedly said that we would not allow Afghanistan to become a safe haven for terrorists who could harm the United States and American citizens. On Saturday night, we delivered on that promise,» the White House spokeswoman said.
She said that the attack on the house where the militant was based was carried out using an unmanned aerial vehicle with the permission of the U.S. President.
The official clarified that Washington did not notify the Taliban of its intention to carry out this operation.
According to her, the United States relied on its own sources and intelligence, which allowed the American leadership «to intervene and successfully achieve their goals.»
Speaking about the possibility of causing collateral damage to civilians and infrastructure as a result of the U.S. strike, the White House spokeswoman said that no one, except for the terrorist, was injured during the special operation.
