DUBAI — Ayman al\u002DZawahiri succeeded Osama bin Laden as al Qaeda leader after years as its main organizer and strategist, but his lack of charisma and…
Zawahiri, 71, was killed over the weekend in a U.S. drone strike, U.S. officials told Reuters on Monday.
But al Qaeda’s days as the centrally directed, hierarchical network of plotters that attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, were long gone. Instead, militancy returned to its roots in local-level conflicts, driven by a mix of local grievances and incitement by transnational jihadi networks using social media.The first time the world heard of him was when he stood in a courtroom cage after the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat in 1981.
During that period, he became acquainted with bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi who had joined the Afghan resistance. A videotape aired by Al Jazeera in 2003 showed the two men walking on a rocky mountainside – an image that Western intelligence hoped would provide clues on their whereabouts.For years Zawahiri was believed to be hiding along the forbidding border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Zawahiri often tried to stir passions among Muslims by commenting online about sensitive issues such as U.S. policies in the Middle East or Israeli actions against Palestinians, but his delivery was seen as lacking bin Laden’s magnetism.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ayman al-Zawahiri: from Cairo physician to al Qaeda leaderZawahiri’s origins in Islamist militancy went back decades
Read more »
Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri killed in drone strike in Afghanistan: SourceThe leader of al-Qaeda, one of the FBI's most wanted terrorists, was killed in a drone strike in Kabul over the weekend, ABC News can confirm through sources.
Read more »
Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri killed in CIA drone strike, U.S. officials sayAl Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has been killed in a CIA drone strike in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said Monday
Read more »
Al Qaeda leader Zawahiri killed in CIA drone strike in Afghanistan: U.S. officialsAl Qaeda leader Ayman al\u002DZawahiri has been killed in a CIA drone strike in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said Monday.
Read more »
Al Qaeda leader Zawahiri killed in CIA drone strike in Afghanistan: U.S. officialsAl Qaeda leader Ayman al\u002DZawahiri has been killed in a CIA drone strike in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said Monday.
Read more »
U.S. drone strike kills al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri, sources say | CBC NewsSources say a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan this weekend killed Ayman al-Zawahri, who took over as al-Qaeda leader after Osama bin Laden's death in a 2011 U.S. raid.
Read more »