US Officials Describe Operation Against al-Qaida's Leader
2022-08-03
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1American officials announced Monday that U.S. forces had carried out a weekend airstrike in Afghanistan that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
2U.S. officials say al-Zawahiri helped al-Qaida's top leader Osama bin Laden plan the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
3After the attacks, he is believed to have continued to lead al-Qaida.
4Al-Zawahiri avoided capture by U.S. forces for 21 years.
5Officials in the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden recently provided details about the killing to reporters from the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters.
6The officials spoke about the operation on the condition that they not be named.
7One official said the operation to find and kill al-Zawahiri had been the result of "careful" and "persistent" planning.
8Before the announcement of his killing, al-Zawahiri was believed to have been living either in Pakistan's tribal area or inside Afghanistan.
9Since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan about one year ago, officials had been watching for signs of al-Qaida's presence in the country, the officials said.
10This year, officials identified that al-Zawahiri's family - his wife, his daughter and her children - had moved into a safe house in Kabul.
11They later identified al-Zawahiri at the same house.
12Several different methods were used to confirm al-Zawahiri's identity.
13He was often seen on the balcony of the safe house, officials said.
14This is where he was targeted in the airstrike.
15The attack was carried out by an unmanned aircraft, called a drone.
16Officials said they had fully investigated the building and identified other people who were living there.
17Investigators wanted to make sure the U.S. could successfully carry out an operation to kill al-Zawahiri without threatening the building's overall structure.
18They also sought to reduce the risk to civilians and al-Zawahiri's family, officials said.
19In recent weeks, President Biden held meetings with close advisors and cabinet members to examine the available intelligence and come up with the best plan of action.
20On July 1, Biden was told about a proposed operation in the White House Situation Room.
21The meeting was attended by top intelligence officials including CIA Director William Burns.
22Biden "asked detailed questions about what we knew and how we knew it," one official told Reuters.
23The U.S. president also closely examined a model of the safe house the intelligence community had built and brought to the meeting.
24Biden asked about lighting, weather, building materials and other elements that could affect the success of the operation, the official said.
25He also requested a report on the expected ramifications of carrying out an airstrike in Kabul.
26A group of government lawyers examined the intelligence reporting.
27They confirmed that al-Zawahiri was a lawful target based on his continuing leadership of al-Qaida.
28On July 25, the president gathered his cabinet members and advisors for a final meeting.
29Officials discussed how killing al-Zawahiri would affect America's relationship with the Taliban, among other issues, the official told Reuters.
30After listening to the advice from others in the room,
31Biden approved "a precise tailored air strike."
32But the approval was given on the condition that the attack would take measures to reduce the risk of civilian casualties.
33The strike was carried out at 0148 UTC on July 30.
34Officials said a drone fired two so-called "hellfire" missiles at al-Zawahiri while he was on the balcony of the safe house.
35The house where al-Zawahiri was living with his family was owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, a U.S. intelligence official told the AP.
36Experts say they are concerned that the Taliban government may be permitting armed extremist organizations to stay in Afghanistan because no U.S. forces remain in the country.
37I'm Bryan Lynn.
1American officials announced Monday that U.S. forces had carried out a weekend airstrike in Afghanistan that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. 2U.S. officials say al-Zawahiri helped al-Qaida's top leader Osama bin Laden plan the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. After the attacks, he is believed to have continued to lead al-Qaida. Al-Zawahiri avoided capture by U.S. forces for 21 years. 3Officials in the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden recently provided details about the killing to reporters from the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters. The officials spoke about the operation on the condition that they not be named. 4One official said the operation to find and kill al-Zawahiri had been the result of "careful" and "persistent" planning. Before the announcement of his killing, al-Zawahiri was believed to have been living either in Pakistan's tribal area or inside Afghanistan. 5Since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan about one year ago, officials had been watching for signs of al-Qaida's presence in the country, the officials said. 6This year, officials identified that al-Zawahiri's family - his wife, his daughter and her children - had moved into a safe house in Kabul. They later identified al-Zawahiri at the same house. 7Several different methods were used to confirm al-Zawahiri's identity. He was often seen on the balcony of the safe house, officials said. This is where he was targeted in the airstrike. The attack was carried out by an unmanned aircraft, called a drone. 8Officials said they had fully investigated the building and identified other people who were living there. Investigators wanted to make sure the U.S. could successfully carry out an operation to kill al-Zawahiri without threatening the building's overall structure. They also sought to reduce the risk to civilians and al-Zawahiri's family, officials said. 9In recent weeks, President Biden held meetings with close advisors and cabinet members to examine the available intelligence and come up with the best plan of action. On July 1, Biden was told about a proposed operation in the White House Situation Room. The meeting was attended by top intelligence officials including CIA Director William Burns. 10Biden "asked detailed questions about what we knew and how we knew it," one official told Reuters. The U.S. president also closely examined a model of the safe house the intelligence community had built and brought to the meeting. 11Biden asked about lighting, weather, building materials and other elements that could affect the success of the operation, the official said. He also requested a report on the expected ramifications of carrying out an airstrike in Kabul. 12A group of government lawyers examined the intelligence reporting. They confirmed that al-Zawahiri was a lawful target based on his continuing leadership of al-Qaida. 13On July 25, the president gathered his cabinet members and advisors for a final meeting. Officials discussed how killing al-Zawahiri would affect America's relationship with the Taliban, among other issues, the official told Reuters. 14After listening to the advice from others in the room, Biden approved "a precise tailored air strike." But the approval was given on the condition that the attack would take measures to reduce the risk of civilian casualties. 15The strike was carried out at 0148 UTC on July 30. Officials said a drone fired two so-called "hellfire" missiles at al-Zawahiri while he was on the balcony of the safe house. 16The house where al-Zawahiri was living with his family was owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, a U.S. intelligence official told the AP. 17Experts say they are concerned that the Taliban government may be permitting armed extremist organizations to stay in Afghanistan because no U.S. forces remain in the country. 18I'm Bryan Lynn. 19The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. 20___________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22persistent - adj. continuing over and over again 23balcony - n. a small area joined to the wall outside a room on a high level where a person can stand or sit 24ramification - n. possible results of an action 25precise - adj. exact and accurate 26tailored -adj. describing something made for a particular person 27________________________________________________________________ 28What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 29Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.