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Transcript/ScriptUS Afghanistan Terrorism (TV)
HEADLINE: US Kills al-Qaida Leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan
TEASER: Biden says "justice has been delivered" after US unmanned vehicle kills al-Qaida leader, in Afghanistan
PUBLISHED AT: 8/1/2022 at 12:02 am
BYLINE: Anita Powell and Ayaz Gul
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER: AP
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Holly Franko, Jepsen
VIDEO SOURCE (S): AP, AFP, Rtrs
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:28
VID APPROVED BY: wpm
TYPE:
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO:))
[[President Joe Biden said Monday that a U.S. missile strike over the weekend has killed the leader of al-Qaida, Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was one of the world's most wanted terrorists. VOA's Anita Powell reports from Washington, with Ayaz Gul in Islamabad. ]]
((NARRATOR))
He was the most wanted man on the planet, as head of al-Qaida, the feared Islamist terror group that spawned franchises around the world after the stunning attacks on U.S. soil on September 11, 2001.
Now, says President Joe Biden, he is no longer a threat.
((President Joe Biden))
"Justice has been delivered. And this terrorist leader is no more. People around the world no longer need to fear the vicious and determined killer. The United States continues to demonstrate our resolve and our capacity to defend the American people against those who seek to do us harm. We make it clear again tonight: that 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."
((NARRATOR))
The Sunday morning U.S. missile strike that killed al-Zawahiri, in Kabul, drew the ire of the nation's Taliban government, which seized control less than a year ago after the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops after two decades in Afghanistan.
Senior White House officials said the operation targeted a house in Kabul and was conducted by an unmanned aerial vehicle, with no U.S. personnel on the ground. Administration officials also said they concluded with "high confidence" that only al-Zawahiri was killed, and that they were aware that senior members of the Taliban's Haqqani network knew he was in Afghanistan. Officials said they did not alert the Taliban before the strike.
The group's spokesman condemned it as a "blatant violation of international principles and the Doha agreement," which are the 2020 talks that Taliban leaders held with the U.S. and Western leaders in Qatar over the withdrawal of U.S. and allied troops the subsequent year.
((GFX: Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid:
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns this attack on whatever the pretext."
((NARRATOR))
The U.S. invaded Afghanistan shortly after the September 11 attacks, and al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was the prime target. U.S. forces killed him in Pakistan in 2011.
Al-Zawahiri, an Egypt-born surgeon, once bin Laden's doctor, took over the terror group in 2011.
Biden said that the killing could lead to a new era.
((President Joe Biden))
"Now we have eliminated the emir of al-Qaida. He will never again – never again – allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he's gone and we're going to make sure that nothing else happens. You know, it can't be a launching pad against the United States. We're gonna see to it that won't happen."
((NARRATOR))
Meanwhile, in recent years, al-Qaida has continued to expand, in the Middle East, West and East Africa, and South Asia.
((Anita Powell, VOA News, Washington))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline) Washington D.C.
Embargo DateAugust 2, 2022 00:04 EDT
Byline((Anita Powell, VOA News, Washington))
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
