The US has this week announced that Ayman al-Zawahiri, leader of the infamous al-Qaida Islamic militant group, has been killed in a targeted drone strike at a residence in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Al-Zawahiri was one of the masterminds behind the September 11th attack on the US, which killed almost 3,000 Americans and destroyed the World Trade Centre in New York City. He was Osama bin Laden’s deputy at the time of the attacks, and after bin Laden’s own killing at the hands of the US Navy SEALs, became the new, less influential and public leader of the terror group.
His death is being welcomed by allies of the US and by democracies around the world as another major blow to international terrorism. The global influence of groups like al-Qaida and ISIS since their heyday in the 2000s and 2010s has been steadily declining, and much of that decline has been attributed to high-profile assassinations of top-ranking terrorist leaders like al-Zawahiri.
President Biden was reportedly very involved in the meetings and planning sessions leading up to the strike, and placed considerable emphasis on limiting the amount of collateral damage. Indeed, it has been reported that al-Zawahiri was the only casualty, despite the fact his family members were also present in the building that was attacked. Two high-precision missiles were fired at him as he stepped out onto a balcony, killing him instantly.
The fact that the al-Qaida leader was living in Kabul is of particular concern. After their takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, almost exactly a year ago, the ruling Taliban have announced that their country would no longer play host to terrorist organisations like al-Qaida in an attempt to curry more favour from the international community. The concerted attempt by the Taliban to remove al-Zawahiri’s family from the house after it was attacked show that they were all too aware of al-Zawahiri’s presence.
Despite the Taliban’s assertions to the contrary, the UN has reported that since August of last year, al-Qaida have enjoyed protections and safety in Afghanistan that had been denied them under the previous government. After their takeover of the country, the Taliban pledged that Afghanistan would never be used as a base for international terrorism again. Al-Qaida has only a shadow of its former capabilities, and does not currently have the capacity to conduct terrorist operations abroad, but if Afghanistan is allowed to again become a springboard for its activities, that may well change.
Diplomatic relations between Afghanistan and the west have taken a nose dive since the fall of Kabul. The Taliban’s adherence to the strictest interpretation of Sharia law have alienated them from the international community, and their backtracking on what little progressive policies they did commit to have done nothing but worsen their situation. Sanctions placed on them by the west have exacerbated the ongoing hunger crisis within the nation, but nations are concerned that any aid supplied to the Taliban to help the people of Afghanistan will be used to further their own destructive goals, or worse, be given to organisations like al-Qaida.
This assassination has deepened international distrust of the Taliban, and if it is possible for relations with them to get worse at this point, they surely will. It is clear that the Taliban have no interest in helping the fight against international terror, and it has been reported that several other high-ranking al-Qaida members are residing in the same district of Kabul in which al-Zawahiri was killed.
However, the killing of al-Zawahiri has demonstrated that they should not be living without fear. The US has with this attack shown that they are capable of conducting “over-the-horizon” operations targeting terrorist leaders in Afghanistan, and will surely do so again. Afghanistan is well in range of US bases in the Gulf, and they have demonstrated their capability and willingness to use targeted drone strikes against their enemies. The next leader of al-Qaida should be rightly afraid of such a strike being targeted at him, and the Taliban should re-consider their current course, and begin the liberalisation of their nation, or suffer the consequences.
stay safe
/e