Update (1943 EST): President Biden has confirmed the strike and killing of the aforementioned Al-Al-Qaeda leader. It seems that the September withdrawal from Afghanistan may have had the hidden positive of drawing out al-Zawahiri from his hiding place along the Pakistan- Afghanistan border.
Update (1734 EST): A senior Biden Official has told press that the strike has killed Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri, who succeeded Osama Bin Laden as the leader of Al-Qaeda after his 2011 killing at the hands of U.S. Navy Seals.
U.S. President Biden is set to address the nation tonight at 1930 EST to provide details on a successful counterterrorism operation, supposedly carried out two days ago on 31 July local time, Kabul.
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— Hasht e Subh Daily (@HashteSubhDaily) July 31, 2022
48 hours ago, two explosions rocked the Dehmazang area of Kabul. Local sources reported seeing drones overhead and Taliban Spokespersons from the Interior Ministry and Intelligence Directorate claimed a drone attack targeted a vacant house in the area. After several hours of speculation, Taliban sources claimed the strike was against an al-Qaeda safe house.
This would represent the first officially recognized U.S. operation in Kabul since the September 2021 evacuation and fall of the Afghan government.
If President Biden confirms this tonight, this would confirm that the Taliban has most likely reneged on its international promise to not allow groups like ISIS or Al-Qaeda to operate from within its borders.
This is developing.
