CIA counterterrorism operation in Afghanistan “successful.”
The United States conducted a “successful” counterterrorism operation against a “significant” al Qaeda leader, Ayman Al Zawahiri, in Afghanistan over the weekend.
Al Zawahiri was an Egyptian doctor and surgeon, who helped coordinate the attacks of September 11, 2001, on the World Trade Center’s twin towers in New York, the Pentagon near Washington, and a thwarted attack that resulted in a plane going down in a Pennsylvania field. He was appointed the successor to Osama bin Laden in June 2011, a month after the notorious terror leader was shot and killed by U.S. forces at a compound in Pakistan. Last year, he appeared in a video commemorating 20 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, despite rumors that he died months earlier.
Officials said the drone strike was carried out by the CIA in the Afghan capital Kabul Sunday. There were no civilian casualties, they reported.
President Biden stated Monday evening that Zawahiri had “coordinated al Qaeda’s branches and all around the world — including setting priorities, for providing operational guidance that called for and inspired attacks against U.S. targets.“
He continued, “After carefully considering the clear and convincing evidence of his location, I authorized a precision strike that would remove him from the battlefield once and for all.“
The president concluded, “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.“
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the president and his advisors to seek God’s guidance in addressing terrorism.
- For Director Burns as he heads the Central Intelligence Agency.
- For the protection of CIA operatives as they gather intel and implement missions.
Sources: Reuters, Fox News, New York Times
