President Biden and his team went to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties.
Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of the key plotters behind 9/11, has been killed by a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan. The strike was carried out at 9:48 p.m. ET on Saturday, following weeks of meetings between President Biden and close advisers. “Justice has been delivered. And this terrorist leader is no more,” Biden said from the White House last night.
Planning the attack
Per CNN, the president was briefed in April that Zawahiri was in a safe house in Kabul, and was heavily involved at each subsequent stage of the planning of the attack. The intelligence team working with the president even made a model of Zawahiri’s safe house, so that he could weigh every risk factor as precisely as possible.
“He was particularly focused on ensuring that every step had been taken to ensure the operation would minimize that risk” of civilian casualties, an official told CNN. This included members of Zawahiri’s family including his wife, his daughter and her children, who reportedly utilized terrorist “tradecraft” to conceal the location of his Kabul hideout.
Biden apparently examined the potential risks at a “granular” level while he was isolating with Covid-19, making detailed inquiries of individual officials before authorizing a “precise tailored airstrike.” U.S. intelligence made careful note of Zawahiri’s daily routines, and the amount of time he spent on the balcony — where the strike was carried out.
The risks for relations with the Taliban
The president was keen to avoid a catastrophe similar to that seen during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan when a U.S. drone strike killed 10 civilians, including seven children. Another key concern was the effect of an attack on U.S. negotiations to secure the release of American hostage Mark Frerichs, who was captured in Afghanistan at the beginning of 2020.
According to CNN, an official confirmed that Taliban leaders knew that Zawahiri was staying in the area, in “clear violation of the Doha agreement.” Apparently, they even covered up his presence after the strike on Saturday and helped to relocate his family, who were deliberately unharmed.
Osama bin Laden’s right-hand man
Ayman al-Zawahiri was among Osama bin Laden’s closest allies; his number two at the time of the 9/11 attack, and at one time, his personal physician. Speaking from the White House’s Blue Room Balcony, Biden detailed a few of al-Zawahiri’s most henious crimes — many of which specifically targeted U.S. citizens.
“He was deeply involved in the planning of 9/11, one of the most responsible for the attacks that murdered 2,977 people on American soil,” Biden said. “For decades, he was a mastermind behind attacks against Americans, including the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000, which killed 17 American sailors and wounded dozens more. He played a key role in the bombing of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 and wounding over 4,500 others. He carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens, American service members, American diplomats, and American interests.”
“People around the world no longer need to fear the vicious and determined killer. The United States continues to demonstrate our resolve and our capacity to defend the American people against those who seek to do us harm. You know, we — we make it clear again tonight that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out,” he added.
