Al-Qaida leader Al-Zawahri dead in U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan

President Biden confirmed that a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan this weekend killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri, who took over as al-Qaida leader after Osama bin Laden’s death in a U.S. raid. The confirmation came via a Monday night address from the White House.

“On Saturday, at my direction, the United States successfully concluded an airstrike in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed the emir of Al Qaida, Ayman al-Zawahri,” President Biden said. “He will never again, never again, allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he is gone and we’re going to make sure that nothing else happens.”

The Afghanistan drone strike left only Al-Zawahri dead. He was one of the FBI’s most wanted terrorists. He was known for having a significant role in several U.S. attacks including the most deadly on U.S. soil. He was responsible for planning 9/11 alongside Osama bin Laden.

“To the families who lost fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends and coworkers on that searing September day, it is my hope that this decisive action will bring one more measure of closure,” Biden said. “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.”

It’s been just under one year since President Biden pulled troops out of Afghanistan. The president said the U.S. can defend itself against terror groups from afar, touting this mission as an example.

Meanwhile, since the withdrawal, al-Qaida has been rapidly growing in Afghanistan sheltered by the Taliban government.  The United Nations released a report detailing the human rights abuses it has been able to document since the day the Biden administration withdrew armed forces from Afghanistan.

“The de facto authorities have limited dissent by cracking down on protests and curbing media freedoms according to the report. The report condemns arbitrary arrests of journalists, protestors, and civil society activists,” the UN said. “Eleven months after Afghanistan’s abrupt transition to Taliban rule, the erosion of women’s rights is one of the most notable aspects of the de facto administration to date. Women and girls have seen their rights to access education, the workplace and participate in public life, restricted.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.