Ayman al- Zawahiri , chief of terrorist group Al-Qaeda has been killed by the US in a drone strike in Afghanistan. President Joe Biden confirmed his death.

 

American President Joe Biden in his address said, Zawahiri had "carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens".

 

"Now justice has been delivered and this terrorist leader is no more," he added. His killing will bring closure to families of the nearly 3,000 victims of the 2001 attacks.

 

"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," said Mr Biden, adding that "we shall never waver from defending our nation and its people".

 

Biden said Zawahiri was the brain behind other acts of violence, including the suicide bombing of the USS Cole naval destroyer in Aden in October 2000 which killed 17 US sailors, and the 1998 attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, in which 223 people died.

 

Zawahiri took over the leadership of Al-Qaeda following the death of Osama Bin Laden in 2011. He and Bin Laden plotted the 9/11 attacks together and he was one of the US's "most wanted terrorists". He was killed in a counter-terrorism operation carried out by the CIA in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Sunday.

 

Zawahiri was on the balcony of a safe house when the drone fired two missiles at him. Other family members were present, but they were unharmed and only Zawahiri was killed in the attack.

 

Last year, the United States had withdrawn its troops from Afghanistan, which was followed by the Taliban takeover. The decision drew wide criticism. "We will make sure that Afghanistan does not become a terror haven again... because he is gone, and we will make sure nothing else happens," Biden said in his latest address.

 

Under a 2020 peace deal with the US, the Taliban agreed not to allow al-Qaeda or any other extremist group to operate in areas under their control. However, the Taliban and al-Qaeda are long-time allies and US officials said the Taliban were aware of Zawahiri's presence in Kabul.