Osama bin Laden sits with his adviser Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian linked to the al Qaeda network, during an interview with Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir (not pictured) in an image supplied by Dawn newspaper, 10 November 2001; Credit: Hamid Mir / Editor / Ausaf Newspaper for Daily Dawn / Handout via Reuters / File Photo

KABUL / WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States (US) killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a "precision" strike in the centre of Kabul, the Afghanistan capital, President Joe Biden said, the biggest blow to the militant group since its founder Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011.

Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who had a $25 million bounty on his head, helped coordinate the 11 September 2001 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Mr Zawahiri was killed when he came out on the balcony of his safe house in Kabul on Sunday morning and was hit by "hellfire" missiles from a US drone.

"Now justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more", Joe Biden said in remarks from the White House on Monday 1 August 2022. "No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out".

He said he had authorised the precision strike in downtown Kabul and that no civilians were killed.

Three spokespeople in the Taliban administration in Kabul declined comment on Mr Zawahiri's death.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had previously confirmed that a strike took place in Kabul on Sunday and strongly condemned it, calling it a violation of "international principles".

A spokesperson for the interior ministry said a house was hit by a rocket in Sherpoor, an upscale residential neighbourhood of the city which also houses several embassies.

"There were no casualties as the house was empty", Abdul Nafi Takor, the spokesperson, said.

Taliban authorities threw a security dragnet around the house in Sherpoor on Tuesday 2 August 2022 and journalists were not allowed nearby.

A senior Taliban official told Reuters that Ayman al-Zawahiri was previously in Helmand province and had moved to Kabul after the Taliban took over the country in August last year.

US intelligence determined with "high confidence" through multiple intelligence streams that the man killed was Mr Zawahiri, one senior administration official told reporters.

"Zawahiri continued to pose an active threat to US persons, interests and national security", the official said on a conference call. "His death deals a significant blow to al Qaeda and will degrade the group's ability to operate".

Ayman al-Zawahiri succeeded Osama bin Laden as al Qaeda leader after years as its main organiser and strategist, but his lack of charisma and competition from rival militants Islamic State hobbled his ability to inspire devastating attacks on the West.

There were rumours of Mr Zawahiri's death several times in recent years, and he was long reported to have been in poor health.

Sanctuary

The drone attack is the first known US strike inside Afghanistan since US troops and diplomats left the country in August 2021. The move may bolster the credibility of Washington's assurances that the US can still address threats from Afghanistan without a military presence in the country.

His death also raises questions about whether Ayman al-Zawahiri received sanctuary from the Taliban following their takeover of Kabul in August 2021. The official said senior Taliban officials were aware of his presence in the city and said the US expected the Taliban to abide by an agreement not to allow al Qaeda fighters to re-establish themselves in the country.

"The Taliban will have to answer for al-Zawahiri's presence in Kabul, after assuring the world they would not give safe haven to al-Qaeda terrorists", Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said in a statement.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Taliban had "grossly violated" the Doha Agreement between the two sides by hosting and sheltering Mr Zawahiri.

Former President Barack Obama joined lawmakers in praising the operation.

"Tonight’s news is also proof that it’s possible to root out terrorism without being at war in Afghanistan", Mr Obama said in a Twitter message. "And I hope it provides a small measure of peace to the 9/11 families and everyone else who has suffered at the hands of al Qaeda".

Republican US Senator Marco Rubio said: "The world is safer without him in it and this strike demonstrates our ongoing commitment to hunt down all terrorists responsible for 9/11 and those who continue to pose a threat to US interests".

Until the US announcement, Ayman al-Zawahiri had been rumoured variously to be in Pakistan's tribal area or inside Afghanistan.

A video released in April 2022 in which he praised an Indian Muslim woman for defying a ban on wearing an Islamic head scarf dispelled rumours that he had died.

The senior US official said finding Mr Zawahiri was the result of persistent counter-terrorism work. The US found out this year that Mr Zawahiri's wife, daughter and her children had relocated to a safe house in Kabul, then identified that Mr Zawahiri was there as well, the official said.

"Once Zawahiri arrived at the location, we are not aware of him ever leaving the safe house", the official said. He was identified multiple times on the balcony, where he was ultimately struck. He continued to produce videos from the house and some may be released after his death, the official said.

In the last few weeks, Joe Biden convened officials to scrutinise the intelligence. He was updated throughout May and June and was briefed on 1 July 2022 on a proposed operation by intelligence leaders. On 25 July 2022, he received an updated report and authorized the strike once an opportunity was available, the administration official said.

With other senior al Qaeda members, Ayman al-Zawahiri is believed to have plotted the 12 October 2000 attack on the USS Cole naval vessel in Yemen which killed seventeen US sailors and injured more than 30 others, the Rewards for Justice website said.

He was indicted in the US for his role in the 7 August 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people and wounded more than 5,000 others.

Both Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri eluded capture when US-led forces toppled Afghanistan’s Taliban government in late 2001 following the 11 September attacks on the US.