New Delhi: The September 11 attacks, commonly called the 9/11 attacks, were one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in history and also the deadliest on US soil. The attacks were perpetrated by Al Qaeda and 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners. Two planes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. Overall, the attacks on September 11 killed 2,977 people and triggered the war on terrorism waged by the US. While Osama bin Laden was the main mind behind the attacks, the role of Ayman al-Zawahiri was also notable.
Who was Ayman al-Zawahiri?
His full name was Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri. From June 2011 to July 2022, he was the second general emir of Al Qaeda. He was one of the main strategists behind the attacks on September 11, 2001.
Born on June 19, 1951, in Giza, Egypt, Al-Zawahiri got his degree in medicine from Cairo University. He also had a master’s degree in surgery and was a professional surgeon. He became one of the prominent figures in the organisation Egyptian Islamic Jihad and even became its emir. From 1981 to 1984, he was imprisoned for his role in Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s assassination. His actions against the government of Egypt resulted in him being sentenced to death in absentia.
Close association with Laden
Ayman al-Zawahiri was a close aide of Osama bin Laden, the supreme head of Al Qaeda. He had considerable influence over the operations of the group. He played a key role in the bombing of the US embassy in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. In 2001, al-Zawahiri merged the Egyptian Islamic Jihad with Al Qaeda and in 2004, he formally became the deputy of Laden. After the US army killed Laden in 2011, he became the leader of the Al Qaeda.
The assassination of Ayman al-Zawahiri
On July 31, 2022, a drone strike conducted by the US in Kabul’s Sherpur neighbourhood in the morning killed Ayman al-Zawahiri. At that time, he was reportedly living in a house owned by a top aide to Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban government’s senior official. The operation was initially denied by the US Department of Defense. On August 1, US President Joe Biden announced that the US Intelligence Community had got the location of the dreaded terrorist in 2022 and he authorized the operation a week before the drone strike took place.
Overall, the attacks on September 11 killed 2,977 people and triggered the war on terrorism waged by the US. While Osama bin Laden was the main mind behind the attacks, the role of Ayman al-Zawahiri was also notable. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
