Ayman al-Zawahiri

Ayman al-Zawahiri: al-Qaida leader killed in US drone strike in Afghanistan, Joe Biden says

The attack on a safe house in Kabul where al-Zawahiri and his family were staying was ordered by the US president at a meeting of key cabinet members and national security officials on 25 July, a senior administration official told reporters.

“At the conclusion of the meeting, the president authorised a precise, tailored airstrike on the condition that a strike minimised to the greatest extent possible the risk of civilian casualties,” the official said in a background briefing call.