Al-Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, a mastermind of the 1998 Nairobi bomb attack that claimed more than 200 lives was killed by the US government on Sunday.
In an address on Monday, August 1, U.S President Joe Biden announced that the ally of Osama Bin Laden was killed through a drone strike.
Biden stated that the successful operation carried out by the US security agencies was a victory for the world in the fight against terrorism.
“He will never again, never again, allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he is gone and we’re going to make sure that nothing else happens,” he stated
It was revealed that the operation was planned in May and June with various securities agencies working to ascertain his identity.
"We identified Zawahiri on multiple occasions for sustained periods of time on the balcony.
"Zawahiri’s family members were present in other parts of the safe house at the time of the strike and were purposely not targeted and were not harmed," US officials stated afterwards.
Zahawiri is one of the key masterminds behind the Nairobi US Embassy which left more 200 people dead and thousands of others injured.
He is also reported to have played a key role in the 911 attack in the US that claimed the lives of over 3,000 people.
Zahawiri took over control of the Al-Qaeda after the death of Osama Bin Laden in 2011.
Consequently, the US government announced a Ksh2 billion bounty for the slain terrorist leader.
The Killing of the Zahawiri comes days before Kenyans celebrate the anniversary of their loved ones killed in the August 7 attack.
