No DNA proof of Al-Qaeda leader to confirm death

• Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of the 9/11 masterminds, was killed in a US drone strike.
• The Egyptian terror leader was standing on the balcony of a safehouse when he was attacked.
• The FBI had been offering $25 million (£20 million) for “information leading to the arrest or conviction”.

The US has no DNA confirmation of Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri’s death in Kabul, but has confirmed his identity through “multiple” other sources, according to the White House.

Al-Zawahiri, one of the 9/11 masterminds, was killed in a US drone strike on a home in Afghanistan’s capital where he had been hiding out with his family.

On Sunday morning, the Egyptian terror leader was standing on the balcony of a safehouse when he was attacked by two hellfire missiles.

According to an unnamed senior US intelligence official, it was the residence of a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani.

John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, stated that the US does not have DNA confirmation of his death but added, “Quite frankly, based on multiple sources and methods that we’ve gathered information from, we don’t need it.”

He told a news conference at the White House that US authorities had “visual evidence and evidence collected through other means” that “led us to the certainty before that this was the guy, and that led us to the conclusion after, with a high degree of confidence, that he was no more.”

Mr. Kirby stated that the US assessment of “high confidence” was based on “what people on the ground did afterwards.”

The US has claimed that the Taliban “grossly” violated the terms of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan by hosting and sheltering al-Zawahiri.
Mr. Kirby told reporters that the missile strike demonstrated that Afghanistan “isn’t a safe haven” for terrorists and  “isn’t going to be going forward”.

He went on to say that the US is aware that there are still some “core” al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan, but the number is “not very large.”

According to a monitors’ report, the Taliban and al Qaeda remain close, with AQ fighters represented “at the individual level” among Taliban combat units.

US President Joe Biden announced the death from the White House Blue Room balcony, saying  “justice has been delivered”.

“This terrorist leader is no more,” Mr Biden added, before expressing his hope that the killing brings “one more measure of closure” to the families of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

After the strike, nearly a year after US troops left the country, the president stated that Afghanistan will “never again become a terrorist safe haven.”

Mr. Biden stated that no members of the 71-year-family old’s were injured, and there were no civilian casualties.

The FBI had been offering $25 million (£20 million) for “information leading to the arrest or conviction” of the terror leader, whose death is the most devastating blow to al Qaeda since its founder, Osama bin Laden, was killed by US special forces in 2011.

According to a senior US administration official, the operation to assassinate al-Zawahiri took months to plan.

On July 1, this year, Mr. Biden was briefed on a proposed operation to assassinate the al Qaeda leader.

However, intelligence indicated that his wife and children had relocated to Kabul much earlier in the year. He and his family were thought to be hiding in Pakistan at the time.

The family was led to a safehouse, where al-Zawahiri was eventually apprehended, according to a US official.
He was observed for several months and his daily routine was recorded. He never left the house, but he did spend some time on the balcony, where he was eventually killed.

On July 25, a detailed proposal was presented to Mr. Biden, who, according to an administration official, requested “granular level interest” due to the emphasis on taking “every step… to minimise civilian casualties.”
The Americans were able to study the house’s construction thanks to intelligence, which allowed them to avoid civilian casualties.

According to the official, al-death Zawahiri’s is “a significant blow to al Qaeda and will degrade  their ability to operate.”

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