Kochi: al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, 71, was killed in a US drone attack at Kabul in Afghanistan.
US President Joe Biden announced it in a televised address. The attack was part of CIA’s counter-terrorism operation on Sunday.
The president said that Zawahiri “carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens”. Zawahiri became chief of al-Qaeda after Osama Bin Laden was killed by the US in 2011.
The US accuse Laden and Zawahiri of plotting the September 11 attacks and were branded as “most wanted terrorists”.
Zawahiri was on the balcony of his camp when the drone fired a couple of missiles at him. Other family members were unharmed.
At least 3,000 innocent people were killed in the 2001 attacks, Mr Biden added.
Zawahiri had also masterminded many terror strikes including the suicide bombing of the USS Cole naval destroyer in Aden in October 2000 killing 17 US sailors.
He was also behind plotting 1998 attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killing 223 people.
Hailing from a prestigious and wealthy family, Zawahiri was a medical surgeon.
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