The sun was peeking over Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, on Sunday morning.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was Osama bin Laden's right-hand man and one of the founders of the terrorist organization Al Qaeda, had just completed his morning prayer, the second of the day, and was looking out over the city from the balcony of his house. .
High in the sky, at 50,000 feet, an American Reaper drone was studying his movements carefully, waiting for the order to attack.
At 6:18 am local time, he fired two Hellfire R9X 'Ninja' missiles which blasted over the house in Sherpur district.
In seconds, a pair of 100-pound metal-reinforced warheads ended US intelligence agencies' 21-year hunt for one of those most responsible for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City, the last one still alive or had managed to evade capture.
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He had been reporting on the details of the operation since May in the White House operations room, although the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had been following his every move for half a year.
President Joe Biden and his national security advisers at the White House during the operation to eliminate Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri on July 1, 2022.White House
Surrounded by national security officials, including CIA Director William Burns, who sat to his right, Biden asked about the details of the mission on July 1.
In the middle of the desk at the meeting, inside a rustic wooden box, was a model of the house where the target was hiding that the officials showed the president.
Biden asked them how they had found the alleged terrorist, how they were sure it was him and he was above all concerned that the risk to civilians be limited, according to a senior White House official consulted by our sister network NBC News.
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In addition to Burns, the July 1 meeting included Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence;
Christine Abizaid, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, and White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain.
“We are making it clear once again that no matter how long it takes, if you are a threat to our people, the United States is going to find you and take you out,” the president said Monday.
Who was Ayman al-Zawahiri, the killed Al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan?
Aug 2, 202200:53
US intelligence services received a report in April that al-Zawahiri's wife, daughter and granddaughters had moved into a residence in the former sector where embassies and diplomatic residences were located before the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in late August last year, when the Taliban seized power.
They were reportedly under the protection of Afghanistan's Interior Minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani.
After three months, US intelligence was able to confirm that al-Zawahiri lived in the house and used to spend time on the balcony in the mornings.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said Monday night that the United States knew that al Qaeda was reestablishing its presence in Afghanistan and that it would continue to monitor threats.
"Mr. Zawahri's presence in Kabul certainly stood that test, because he has been active in planning and plotting future threats against our homeland," Kirby told our sister network MSNBC.
