Kamala Harris lauds US drone strike that killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri

The Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris commended the military strike that Killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who collaborated with Osama bin Laden to plan the fatal 9/11 attacks. In a series of tweets on Monday, Harris said that US President Joe Biden had promised that “we would maintain the ability to protect Americans from terrorist threats”. She notified that Biden made these comments after he stopped the military operation in Afghanistan. Further, she said, “Tonight, with the killing of al-Qa’ida’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, it is clear we are meeting that commitment.” 

The Vice President further added that the American people and the rest of the globe are “now safer” as a result of the bold action taken by the President to remove this terrorist leader off the battlefield. Highlighting Biden’s statement, Harris said, “To all those who seek to do us harm, we can and will find you and deliver justice.” 

Harris even expressed her gratefulness for the intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who work tirelessly to keep them secure and whose exceptional talent made this operation a success. 

Biden's reaction on Al-Qaeda leader's death

In addition to this, US President Biden has confirmed the death of the al-Qaeda leader, by saying, "The United States successfully concluded an airstrike in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed the emir of al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri.” 

During a speech from the White House that evening, Biden said that US intelligence officials had located al-Zawahri in a residence in downtown Kabul, where he was sheltering with his family. The operation was carried out on Sunday after the president gave his approval last week, Associated Press reported.  

It is pertinent to mention that Al-Zawahri and Osama bin Laden planned the 9/11 attacks, which introduced many Americans to al-Qaida for the first time. On May 2, 2011, US Navy SEALs executed a mission to kill Bin Laden in Pakistan, ending an almost ten-year manhunt. 

According to a statement, Biden said, “He carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens, American service members, American diplomats, and American interests.” He asserted, “Now justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more.”    

Just 11 months after American forces departed the nation at the end of a two-decade conflict in Afghanistan, the operation represents a huge counterterrorism victory for the Biden administration, Associated Press reported.  

Apart from Kamala Harris, former US President Barack Obama also reacted to the US drone strike that killed Ayman al-Zawahiri. Obama noted in a statement that "More than 20 years after 9/11, one of the masterminds of that terrorist attack and Osama bin Laden’s successor as the leader of al-Qaeda – Ayman al-Zawahiri – has finally been brought to justice.” 

Obama praised US President Joe Biden's foresight in authorising the drone hit in Kabul, Afghanistan, and said Zawahiri's death on Sunday is a "tribute" to US intelligence, which has been working for decades "for this moment." 

(Image: AP)