he is re al-zawahiri is in the us? he is pretty well— al-zawahiri is in the us? the us? he is pretty well known in _ al-zawahiri is in the us? he is pretty well known in the - al-zawahiri is in the us? he is pretty well known in the us, l al-zawahiri is in the us? he is| pretty well known in the us, as he was indicted for the bombings of the us embassies in kenya and tanzania in 1988, which by the way, kind of highlighted the growing threat from al-qaeda and as you mentioned earlier, he participated in the attack against uss cole and the planning of 9/11 and having taken over from 0sama planning of 9/11 and having taken overfrom osama bin laden as the leader of al-qaeda, he is a pretty well—known name, at least two folks who had been around that adult lives since that time frame. i around that adult lives since that time frame.— that time frame. i was interested _ that time frame. i was interested that - that time frame. i was interested that in - that time frame. i was interested that in a . that time frame. i was - interested that in a recent un report, the tal

there have been numerous attempts to target ayman al—zawahiri. be much satisfaction about that but who is it they really got? how big a fish is in today's al-qaeda world? really got? how big a fish is in today's al—qaeda world? it in today's al—anda world? it is important to note two things. one that al-qaeda commend dick control is relatively centralised. it essentially runs its own operations in somalia. a range of groups run most of their operations in syria and if the same is true in other areas. in west africa. ayman al—zawahiri does not have operational command in a tactical movement way but it is a serious blow. since the creation of the organisation and the movement, along with osama bin laden, ayman al—zawahiri has been a central member of the organisation and even more than osama bin laden in some ways, has written a number of important texts, including nights under the profits banner that have been extensively read byjohn hardest so his death does create some broader problems for an organisation that has a really got a major terrorist a

mr biden said ayman al—zawahiri was had been deeply involved in the september the 11th attacks as wellattacks on us embassies in africa and the uss cole in the late nineties. zawahiri, who succeeded osama bin laden as al-qaeda chief, was on the fbi's most wanted terrorist list. this is what president biden announced a short time ago on saturday at my direction, the united states successfully concluded an airstrike in kabul, afghanistan, that killed the emir of al-qaeda, ayman al—zawahiri. ayman al—zawahiri was bin laden�*s leader, he was with him all the whole time, he was his number two man and deputy at the time of the terrorist attack on 9/11. he was deeply involved in the planning of 9/11. one of the most responsible for the attacks that murdered 2,977 people on american soil. for decades, he was the mastermind behind attacks against americans, including the bombing of the uss cole in 2000, which killed 17 american sailors, and wounded dozens more. he played a key role in the bombing of us embassies in kenya and tanzania, killing 224 and wounding over 11,500 others. he carved a tra

. personal approval to kill ayman al-zawahiri-_ al-zawahiri. justice has been delivered _ al-zawahiribeen delivered and _ al-zawahiri. justice has been delivered and the _ al-zawahiri. justice has been delivered and the terrorist i delivered and the terrorist leader is no more.- leader is no more. people around the _ leader is no more. people around the world - leader is no more. people around the world no - leader is no more. people | around the world no longer leader is no more. people - around the world no longer need to fear the vicious and determined _ to fear the vicious and determined killer. - to fear the vicious and | determined killer. the to fear the vicious —.ic determined killer. the united states continues to demonstrate our resolve and our capacity to defend the american people against those who seek to do us harm. we make it clear again tonight that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hired, if you are a threat to our people, the united states will find you and take you out. it has taken 21 years. osama bin laden was the face behind the 9-11 bin laden was

indeed, and we will be _ al-zawahiri's name. indeed, and we will be carrying _ al-zawahiri's name.ying that - al-zawahiri's name. indeed, and we will be carrying that press - we will be carrying that press conference by president biden live here, so tune in for more details and we get that. you've described how important ayman al—zawahiri was to the al-qaeda, with the caveat that we don't know that it was him that's been killed in this drone strike. give us a sense of how significant this might be to the al-qaeda operation. of how significant this might be to the al—qaeda operation. i be to the al-qaeda operation. i mean, it's a huge blow for them. this is the leader of al-qaeda, as i mentioned, taking over the terrorist group in 2011 when 0sama taking over the terrorist group in 2011 when osama bin laden was killed by the us. but ayman al—zawahiri himself has always beenin al—zawahiri himself has always been in invisible symbol of the group, he was over 70 years old and once 0sama group, he was over 70 years old and once osama bin laden�*s personal physician. his whereabouts have

we have seen in the past few months and this year ayman al—zawahiri releasing more and more propagandaide world had improved since the taliban took over last year. al-qaeda had celebrated the taliban take over that took place last august. now i think we'll how to wait —— we will have to wait and see to see how everyone responds once the administration official says in the background briefing that it seems clear that members of the taliban, at least some, were aware of ayman al—zawahiri here. they also said dialogue with the taliban will continue. i don't want you to get you to suspect elite, but given what you just you described, it gives reward difficult relationship —— to speculate. we have heard from a taliban spokesperson describing the operation as a clear violation of international principles, saying quote unquote, such actions are rep position of the field experience of the last 20 years. we would expect the taliban to say something like this, butjust in terms of the possible trust that could have been built tween the two sides, is there any hope of that or wasn't nonexistent?-

biden: al-zawahiri has been a leader of al qaeda. from hiding he coordinated al qaeda's branches and all around the world including operational guidance and called for inspiring attacks against u.s. targets. he made videos including in the recent weeks to call for his followers to attack the united states and our allies. now, just has been delivered. this terrorist leader is no more. people around the world no longer need to worry about this vicious killer. the united states continues to demonstrate our resolve and capacity to defend the american people against those who seek to do us harm. we make it clear again tonight that 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. host: a little bit of what the president said. guest: the president is right that the reach of the united states as long. our patience is long. no matter if it takes 22 years we will come, we will find you, we will take you out. that was not just the message to al-zawahiri b

al-zawahiri is the last of the iconic leaders. ourse, bin laden has been killed and so have others, so the point here is the old al qaeda is dead. at the brand of al qaeda will continue as indeed the nazi brand continued after the death of hitler's and the defeat of the nis in germany. i don't think we can call it an end, but a transition phase in whatever al qaeda morphs into evenally. kasia: earlier, i spoke with our chief international correspondent from kabul. reporter: the details are so sketchy. there's so much speculation that swirls around ayman al-zawahiri d it continues to this day with people hearing kabul expressing skepticism he had actually been killed, that he was in that safe house in the neighborhood just a few streets away from where we are broadcasting from. there were many on social media who remindedryone that there is been repeated reports that al-zawahiri had died for, one that saying he had died of illness. those wh said he was still alive believed the man who went into hiding after the september 11 attacks

ayman al—zawahiri was one of the masterminds of the 9/11 terror attacks, with osama bin laden. d in a drone strike in the afghan capital of kabul. us president biden said killing zawahiri, who had been one of the key planners of 9/11, meant "justice had been done". but it raises questions about that relationship between the us and the taliban. let's get more on that story now with colin clarke, who's a senior research fellow at the soufan centre, from pittsburgh, in pennsylvania. it's great to get you on the programme, ijust want it's great to get you on the programme, i just want to get your thoughts on the killing of al—zawahiri in the first instance. has this significantly weakened the al-qaeda, in your view? has this significantly weakened the al—qaeda, in your view? weill. has this significantly weakened the al-qaeda, in your view?— al-qaeda, in your view? well, i think it's a _ al-qaeda, in your view? well, i think it's a big _ al-qaeda, in your view? well, i think it's a big deal. _ al-qaeda, in your view? well, i think it's a big deal. first - think it's a big deal. firs

they made no mention of any victim, certainly no mention of ayman al—zawahiri or al-qaeda at all.r this. this killing of ayman al—zawahiri really does get to the crux of the tense relationship, the very, very antagonistic relationship that there has always been between there has always been between the taliban and the united states. and that is because if you cast your mind back to 2001, the reason why the taliban were overthrown by the us was because al-qaeda had its haven here in afghanistan. they used afghanistan as a base from which to plot the 9/11 attacks. before american troops were withdrawn from afghanistan last year, the taliban and america signed a deal paving the way for that withdrawal and is part of the deal, the taliban committed to not allowing foreign military groups to plot attacks abroad or in the us. it was never clear what they were going to do with al-qaeda because the taliban and al-qaeda have always been close allies. he never seemed likely that they were going to turn against their old former allies. it certainly did seem as if they did not want groups lik

because of that situation it is not difficult to know who will succeed al—zawahiri. l in the case of archie battersby. he is 12 years old and has been in a deep coma since the 7th of april of this year and his parents holly dance and paul wish to challenge thejudgment parents holly dance and paul wish to challenge the judgment to restore life supporting treatment. the proposed stay is to allow more time for the un commission for the rights of people with disability to consider their complaint. that withdrawal of life—sustaining treatment is a breach of that convention. the supreme court is aware of the urgency of this matter, it�*s a panel of three judges who will consider an application for permission to appeal on paper, in the usual way, and as soon as we have more details on this, we will bring it to you. archie battersbee who has been in a coma since the 7th of april, and there is an appeal, permission to appeal, application thatis permission to appeal, application that is now being considered in his case. more as and when we get it. i�*m just going to add here, w

al-zawahiri was in some ways even more the architect of al qaeda than bin laden.as radicalized when he was 15 years old. he goes to jail as part of the assassination of anwar sadat, the president of egypt, which he made peace with the israelis. he has been the mastermind behind all this. in some ways you could argue al qaeda was a marriage or fusion between egyptian brains and saudi money. al-zawahiri was the egyptian brains. bin laden was the saudi money. so in some sense he is the original, the founder, the symbol for many of the kadris probably even more so than bin laden, so symbolically a huge setback. the truth is al qaeda is in bad shape anyway. it is a shadow of what it used to be and so i think that -- i'm not sure exactly how much effect it will have operationally because it's already a pretty ragtag operation, but without question, the single biggest blow you could give to appear died would be to decapitate al- zawahiri. >> last year, fareed, when you marked the tenth anniversary of the killing of osama bin laden. you said islamic threat isn't the threa

for -- when it comes to counterterrorism, what does this mean for the world to have someone like al-zawahiri now gone? >> this is a man who seemed to have his hands and the operations of al-qaeda. they had a lower profile because of the attention focused on isis. i think an important point to make is the last major incident we had like this was the death of a baghdadi isis leader in syria. that's something you are special forces pulled off as they were withdrawing from northern syria because of that incident with turkey moving in their. that was a remarkable feat. this still carries, u.s. state -- after the u.s. pulled out of afghanistan. so the reach is pretty remarkable. there's now a question regarding who takes his place. -- the un has said in neighboring iran, the question of course for a run is if they accept that's the case. does he stay there? they would be harboring the new leader of al-qaeda. these are urgent questions, certainly, for the region. and certainly to, what can the taliban do to try to reclaim the idea that it's not going to create another haven for al-qaeda? i think th

ayman al-zawahiri. talking with richard haass in a minute. big news yesterday and something we have been working toward for the past 20 years. it is hard to overstate how important this is to people in the cia and the military that have been trying to bring this terrorist to justice because he was ultimately responsible. donald trump when he was at his golf tournament this weekend by our account had 14 people, a couple chickens, a hound dog running across a couple greens really distracting, you're sitting there and mickelson trying to play and that hound dog chasing chickens and he has to stop but so, he was asked about that while this animal battle was going on, on the 16th with mickelson and trump said we don't really know what caused 9/11 we need to look into that. well, we have actually always known what caused 9/11 and his name was al-zawahiri and he was killed by the united states. >> first of all you'd have to step off when the tumbleweed rolls across the green, that can be distracting but yes th

eventually, al-zawahiri folded his group into al qaeda. >> he pretty much lead the group.tegic policy of what al qaeda's agenda was. suddenly, in lot and gave his authority and blessings to it, but al-zawahiri call the shots. >> reporter: al-zawahiri was on at bin laden side when he declared war on america in 1998. weeks later, they launched attacks on u.s. embassies in africa, and then -- after the cruise missile attack launched in retaliation. after the 9/11 attacks, al- zawahiri again became the voice of al qaeda, taunting the u.s.. >> translator: american people, you must ask yourself, why all this hate against america ? >> reporter: after the u.s. invasion of afghanistan, bin laden and al-zawahiri were on the run. sometimes together, more often, apart. his wife and daughters were killed in a u.s. air strike aimed at him. but he continued to issue messages, on subjects ranging from the war in iraq, to the london subway attacks in 2005. while he was always a likely choice to osama bin laden, it took the organization seven weeks to promote announces promotions. >> zawahi

the string of attacks and murders attributed to ayman al-zawahiri is stomach churning. he was the ideological mastermind behind the fraters of al-qaeda and groups like that, toward indiscriminate mass murder of civilians anywhere, including muslims, all in the name of islamic piety. and how we got there, we are now looking back, and it seems like a straight shot. but if you dropped in anytime in his biography, you wouldn't know if he was going there. he was trained as a doctor, he was trained as a surgeon. he was from a respected family in egypt, born and raised in cairo. by the time he was 15 years old, he was a committed radical, that wanted to try to impose islamic theocracy by force. he formed his first terrorist cell, with the aim of overthrowing the government of egypt, when he was only 15 years old. when islamic militants did assassinate egypt's president, anwar al-sadat, in a military parade in 1981, ayman al-zawahiri was one of hundreds of islamic radicals who was tried and imprisoned for that crime. he was tortured for years in egyptian prisons. while he was th

airstrike had taken out ayman al zawahiri. zawahiri of course became the leader of al qaeda after osama bin laden's death more than ten years ago and is seen as one of the masterminds of the september 11 attack here in the u.s. about. what we're told is that earlier in year u.s. intelligence had gathered that he was in a safe house in kabul and that u.s. intelligence officials had spent months gathering information about his whereabouts, about his pattern of life, and had kept president biden informed as he ultimately last week made the final decision to go ahead with this airstrike. now, the president indicating in a speech to the nation that this is something that will hopefully give a little bit of closure to the families and victims of the september 11 attacks, he said in his remarks that justice has been delivered. >> now justice has been delivered. and this terrorist leader is no more. people around the world no longer need to feert vicious and determined killer. the united states continues to demonstrate our resolve and

>> by the time al-zawahiri burst on the world scene after the assassination of egyptian president al-sadrmmitted to turning egypt into islamic state. the young doctor came from one of egypt's leading families. there was even and al-zawahiri street in cairo named after his grandfather. his uncle described him as pious. >> he was a good muslim and he came to pray in the mosque and to read and seeing. >> al-zawahiri spent 3 years in prison after al-sadr's assassination, and made his way to pakistan where he used his medical skills to help those in afghanistan. that's where he met osama bin laden, and they found a common cause. he talked about it a decade later. >> we are working presently -- since more than 10 years [inaudible] >> al-zawahiri was many places in the early 1990s. even it is believed, visiting california on a false passport. his group attacked egyptian embassies and try to kill egyptian politicians. eventually, al-zawahiri folded his group into al-qaeda. >> he pretty much flip the group ended a strategic policy of with al-qaeda's agenda was, and suddenly bin laden gave his auth

secretary of state antony blinken says by sheltering al zawahiri, the taliban grossly violated the terms of the doha agreement, the peace deal reached before the u.s. withdrawal. >> so they are not only doing nothing to prevent terrorist organizations like isis-k and al qaeda from operating in afghanistan, they were actually protecting the number one terrorist in the world so it shows they are not a partner at all. >> reporter: now the house where al zawahiri was staying was reportedly owned by a top aide to a senior taliban leader. mona. >> ike, thank you. >>> house speaker nancy pelosi arrived in malaysia today as the world waits to see if taiwan will be her next stop. local media in taiwan say pelosi is expected to land there tonight despite warnings from china that such a visit would be crossing a red line. the biden administration says any escalation in tensions would be on beijing and the u.s. military is prepared to respond if needed. pelosi's tour is aimed at discussing trade, climate change and security. >>> hundreds of people are still unaccounted for after the devastating floo

and ayman al zawahiri and al qaeda certainly do.le a decapitation strike like this is important and it does prove that we can do over the horizon operations, it also means you keep sustained pressure on. that means continued strikes, continued monitoring. i think i know -- i know that my old colleagues in the intelligence community will certainly celebrate the events of the last several days but there's a lot more work to do because, you know, al qaeda is still -- they have a terrorist safe haven in afghanistan, they have allies, so we can't take our foot off the gas right now. >> you know the capital of afghanistan so well. talk to us a little bit about where the strike was carried out and then there's been talk -- ken was talking about the diplomatic quarter. what is that and what was the area and the context in which this strike was carried out? >> well, thank you, jose. the neighborhood is a neighborhood that was very well known amongst the western community. it was a fairly new neighborhood post-2001. it used to be a military b

the death of al zawahiri is certainly a blow. he is and has been, since the death of osama bin laden, the most important al qaeda figure, the one that has talked most significantly to the al qaeda franchises across the globe, and has been historically even during the bin laden years, probably the most influential religious leader, including through some of his texts like knights under the prophet's banner. so, this will be a short-term, possibly a midterm blow to al qaeda, but i think as everybody has said here, including clarissa, the fact that this was done in kabul and the fact that a recent u.n. report noted that the number of al qaeda fighters has doubled since the taliban took over in afghanistan, does have some very serious concerns over the midterm. >> right, right, i mean, that doesn't just go away overnight, despite the significance of this moment. i briefly showed the video, zawahiri talking about the u.s., as broken and defeated, specifically he was talking about the chaotic and messy american pullout, biden's pullout

al—zawahiri was even bin laden�*s personal physician.ve for $25 million. i think what this reflects is, really, the challenges we have had on our counterterrorism policies where al—zawahiri has been able to survive for two decades. 0utlasted the afghanistan war in safety, prior to us being able to eliminate him. when bin laden was killed by the americans in 2011, al—zawahiri took over. the president said america hunted him for a year, eventually locating him to a safe house in kabul last weekend. they shot two missiles at him. his family members were unharmed. al—zawahiri was rumoured to be in bad health, becoming a remote figure, and with the rise of other terror groups like the so—called islamic state, his influence was marginal compared to his predecessor. the taliban has called the killing "a violation of international principles". but al—zawahiri's presence in kabul has cast doubt on the taliban's promise its country would not be a haven for terrorists. nomia iqbal, bbc news, washington. 0ur chief international correspondent lyse do

al zawahiri became bin laden's personal doctor. by 1998, the islamic jihad and al qaeda merged, al zawahiri second-in-command. >> bin laden was a relative newcomer to the world of jihad. al zawahiri had well established credentials. these two uniting provided a team that could not be broken. >> reporter: america was there next target, the world trade center in their sites. after 9/11, al zawahiri was seen in afghanistan, and then went into hiding, a $25 million reward on his head. he kept al qaeda alive as basis became the west's main target. pious, ruthless, the brains behind the world's worst terrorist attack, even in his final video he was calling on muslims to attack america. >> nbc's richard engel. we are expecting to learn how the cia found al zawahiri and how they took them out when the president addresses the nation shortly. cnbc senior white house correspondent kayla tausche with details now. >> we are expecting the president to make that address later on this hour. this is a major conquest for the biden administration. you

president biden said a drone strike took out aman al zawahiri over the weekend. intelligence officials tracked the al qaeda leader to a home in downtown kabul where he was hiding with his family. he was killed while standing on a balcony. trinity chavez is in new york with the details on this. tu trinity, good morning. >> good morning, anne-marie. the al qaeda leader was one of the most wanted terrorists in the world and the successor to osama bin laden is dead. he was killed in a counterterrorist operation over the weekend after evading the u.s. for two decades. president biden says a u.s. drone strike has killed the al qaeda leader who helped mastermind the 9/11 terror attacks. >> at my direction, the united states successfully committed an air strike in kabul that killed aman al zawahiri. >> reporter: in an evening address, he said aman al zawahiri also played a deadly role in the bombings in kenya and tanzania and the 2000 attack on the "uss cole" that killed american sailors. >> he killed american service members, american diplomats, and american interests. >

zawahiri played a marriginal ro in the pre- 9/11 al qaeda. you can read the 9/11 commission report, he really wasn't involved in the planning of 9/11. that was bin laden and others. so zawahiri tnever carried out n attack on the united states or american interests in the decade he ran it. he presided over the split between al qaeda and isis, which, you know, is really a terrible thing for al qaeda because isis became the most effective terrorist group in the world. if bin laden had been around, maybe he would have been able to paper over those differences. >> one open question following the u.s. withdrawal from afghanistan. we're coming up at the end of the month on the one year anniversary of that had been can the u.s. carry out effective counterterror operations from outside the country without boots on the ground, whether they be u.s. military or cia assets? and bill burns, cia director, acknowledged publicly it is more difficult. i spoke to the head of mi6 who said it is more difficult from outside the country. but they were able to do it

the string of attacks and murders attributed to ayman al-zawahiri is stomach turning. he was the ideological mastermind behind the term of al-qaeda and groups like that towards indiscriminate mass murder of civilians anywhere including muslims all in the name of islamic piety. and how he got there now looking back at it seemed like a straight shot, but if you sort of dropped in on him at any time in his biography you wouldn't have known he was going there. by the time he was 15 years old he was a committed radical who wanted to try to impose islamic theocracy by force. he formed his first terrorist cell when he was all of 15 years old. when islamic militants did assassinate egypt's president at a military parade in 1991 ayman al-zawahiri was one of hundreds islamic radicals tried and imprisoned for that crime. he was tortured for years in egyptian prisons. while he was there he became an informant supplying information on his comrades to the egyptian security services. he was released from prison in egypt in 1984 even more radical than when he had gone in. he nurtured t

diminished organization, to where it was back in 2001, certainly highly symbolic, because of the role al zawahiri played in the september 11th attacks but still an important piece taken off the battlefield, yes? >> absolutely. not only was he the leader of al qaeda but a lot of counter-terrorism analysts such as myself would argue that al zawahiri played a more crucial role in the masterminding of the planning of the 9/11 trost attacks. he was a -- terrorist attacks. he was a very senior leader in the council of bin laden under osama bin laden's leadership and osama bin laden was taken out in 2011 and al zawahiri was in charge of the franchise for the past 11 years and that included their fanning out into syria, under the guise of a group, and al zawahiri, i have to say, in recent years, a friend of mine joked that ct experts hung on his every word, a little more carefully than his own so-called followers and international jihad. and in this franchise, for example, in syria, broke with him rather acrimoniously and no longer a member of al qaeda, but look, you know, we've been hearing for years, a

the year after that, in june, june, 2001, al qaeda, bin laden's group, formally absorbed zawahiri's group, islamic jihad. he and osama bin laden from that point forward were no longer just fellowwe travelers and compatriots, now, as of june, 2001, al qaeda was it, zawahiri was bin laden's second in command and informally his brain, his strategic thinker, his ideological guide, his doctor, the chief operating officer of al qaeda. two days before the 9/11 attacks, in an operation masterminded by zawahiri, a man named ma med, the afghanistan leader, opposed to the taliban, zawahiri wiped him out on september 9th, 2001, doing a huge favor to the taliban. in getting the taliban to himself, in debting the taliban to himself, and two days laider, laid down hell on the united states of america on september 11th, 2001, in pennsylvania, and new york city and the pentagon. this was the first wanted poster put out for aman al-zawahiri from 9/11,hi october 2001, week after the attack, the reward for information leading to his capture at $5g million, that would soon quintuple to $25 milliono reward. th

al-zawahiri had trained as a doctor dipped but was drawn into radical circles. joining al qaeda, he helped plan the 9/11 attacks. nearly 3000 were killed. america placed a $25 million bounty on his head. president biden was in the command center when osama bin laden was killed. here he i being briefed on this weekend's operation. a major success after criticism of last year's chaotic troop withdrawal from afghanistan. pres. biden: 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 u out. ergo unlike al qaeda, the taliban have a national agenda. they have been close allies of al qaeda for years recently they have played down their links, promising not to allow for an attacks to be planned on afghan il. al qaeda is no longer the global threat it once was. this drone strike will further deepen the mistrust between the taliban and the west. jane: let's have a quick look at some of the days other news. bp has reported its highest profits in 14 years. the second-biggest in is history. the co

high bars for u and first of all, we had to gather the intelligence that enabled us to know where al zawahirit was zawahiri that was located within the house, and we had to confirm it with confidence and second, the president wanted to understand the details of the operation that had to be developed through multiple iterations and with red teaming it to ensure that all efforts had to be made within the president's direction to minimize civilian casualties, and to ensure with the weapons that were within use of the strike, and to prevent the building from collapsing and precise and target ed striking with him on the balcony, and third, we had to do -- >> and you -- sorry. >> and to do it with no boots on the ground, and that is going to create an additional challenge that we were capable of meeting, and that fulfills the president's commitment to the american people when he made the decision to withdraw from afghanistan that we would be capable of engaging when we needed to, to signal that it was not acceptable to allow the terrorists to have safe harbor in afghanistan, and with al zawahiri de

and to understand just how pivotal al-zawahiri was to al qaeda, it is worth looking at some of his history. he was born into a prominent egyptian family, but in the 1960s, he joined up with the muslim brotherhood, and was eventually arrested as part of a plot to overthrow the government in the early 1980s. and it is the torture that he experienced in that prison, that fully radicalized the young man into the terrorist leader that we know today. he recounted being beaten, electrocuted, and even terrorized by wild dogs. and he spoke out forcefully back in 1982, about the torture he and his fellow radicals experienced. >> -- who died as a result of negligence as a result of this treatment! the result of more than three days of severe torture. where is -- the one included in this case, but unfortunately, he's not here. do you know why? because they delivered his body to his family, because he died under torture. >> al-zawahiri was eventually released from prison, and he pressed his follows to a violent and brutal attacks back in egypt, including an especially horrific massacre at the luxor rui

ayman al—zawahiri, right—hand man and successor to 0sama bin laden.strike that american officials say killed him as he stood on the balcony at this family home in an upmarket kabul neighbourhood. we can hear debris still being cleared up, but then we are told to stop filming. we are in the centre of the city. the house that was targeted in the drone strike is just a few minutes away, but the taliban are not allowing anyone to film nearby, insisting there is nothing to see — one even pointing his gun threateningly towards us a little earlier on. senior taliban figures must have agreed to al-qaeda's leader living here, but they have insisted in public the group no longer exists in afghanistan, so his death poses difficult questions. he had trained as a doctor in egypt, but became involved with radical circles. after joining afterjoining al-qaeda, he helped plan the 9/11 attacks, and which nearly 3000 people were killed. america placed a $25 million bounty on his head. president biden was in the command centre when 0sama bin laden was killed. and here he

. >>> next on "gps," i will talk about the demise of ayman al zawahiri. at does the al qaeda's death mean for the future of terrorism? don't like surprises? [ watch vibrates ] proactive notifications from fidelity keep you tuned in all day long. so when something happens that could affect your portfolio, you can act quickly. that's decision tech, only from fidelity. as someone with hearing loss i know what a confusing and frustrating experience getting hearing aids can be. that's why i founded lively. affordable, high-quality hearing aids with all of the features you need, and none of the hassle. i use lively hearing aids and it's been wonderful. it's so light and so small but it's a fraction of the cost of the other devices. they cost thousands less. it's insanely user friendly. you take the hearing test online, the doctor programs in the settings. you don't even need to go into an office. they're delivered to your door in a few days and you're up and running in no time. it connects via bluetooth to my phone. you can stream music and you can answer phone

bear in mind, | ayman al-zawahiri has been the ayman al—zawahiri has been the leader of al-qaeda sinceas wanted for a long time — he's only 70 years of age, he's been a very visible international symbol of the group. at one point it's believed he even acted as bin laden�*s personal physician. if it is in fact him, it's a cute moment for president biden, and in terms of the counterterrorism operation they've been carrying out for many years, we still don't know 100% that it is this person, but we will find out when president biden delivers his remarks in about an hour's time. thank you so much forjoining us with that latest information, and certainly will be able to confirm that when we hear from president biden injust an hour's that when we hear from president biden in just an hour's time, that when we hear from president biden injust an hour's time, so stay tuned to bbc news for developers on that story. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme... i cannot believe how i'm seeing this! film director and football fanatic gurinder chadha gives us her reaction to

the rebuke came after a us drone strike in kabul killed ayman al—zawahiri, the leader of al qaeda. waters.

i mean, we have been tracking al zawahiri, each president and thereafter, have been tracking al zawahirir more than two decades at this point, dating all the way back to the bush administration which you worked in. give me your reaction? >> what a triumph for the united states and for the central intelligence agency, our officers have been worked steadfastly for decades, as you correctly say, looking through topography, trying to listen in on what terrorist conversations indicate about the whereabouts of senior al qaeda leaders. and so, this is really a tribute to the united states that we will stay on a particular matter, and we will find you, we'll track you down. >> leif, address for me the point that peter alexander just brought up, and that is this idea that kabul now under taliban leadership was essentially a safe harbor zone for a killer, really, the leader of a major terrorist organization that killed thousands of americans, living in plain sight in the captain capital city of kabul, in a safe harbor in an area that is for the fortified and protected. >> absolutely, i think this

earlier i asked colin clarke, who's a senior research fellow at the soufan centre, if the killing of al—zawahiri deal. i think first, symbolically, it's really important for americans. we lost 3,000 innocent citizens that day to the 9/11 attacks, and so there's a sense of vengeance that i think a lot of americans, you know, not only those who work in national security felt, when the president announced zawahiri's death. more fundamentally for the group, it's a big blow because zawahiri has let the group since may 2011, after bin laden was killed. he's led al-qaeda through some turbulent times, including the arab spring revolutions, but also the rise of the islamic state in 2014. so without him, they'll be searching for a new leader, and i think there's a lot of uncertainty within the organisation at the moment. so who do you see as replacing him? is there any sort of definitive person or leader that could replace him? and how do you see them steering the al-qaeda? well, the conventional wisdom suggests that the egyptian jihadist, much like al—zawahiri, with some military training and experience

let's talk about al zawahiri's legacy. just the brutal legacy that still remains with us even after his death. >> well, you know, it starts i guess with the embassy bombings in 1998 when al qaeda raised the curtain on its future attacking two american embassies in east africa killing 224 people. and blinding 100 people because of the flying glass. and then there was the coal bombing in october of 2000 killing 19 american sailors in the harbor in yemen. and then 9/11. but that doesn't stop. there was a drum roll of continuing attacks. they never got back to broadway. >> but they were attempting to contact america and allies. and then in 2011 bin laden is killed and al zawahiri has been seen the man behind bin laden and often not being as charismatic and so on. but give him credit. this was an organization that on 9/11 had about 400 members. now counter terrorist experts around 40,000 members of al qaeda and its affiliates when stretch to morocco to india. so under his guidance this organization has expanded and proliferated

told us last month that al zawahiri was living in kabul, that he was active and communicating freely.t is a safe harbor. this taliban government, no surprise, is basically giving safe harbor to some senior al qaeda operatives. there is a lot behind that rivalry between the solomon, al qaeda, it's a very complex picture. what we know is that afghanistan is, again, a harbor for terrorism on some level. at something we will have to keep an eye on. >> todd: you connect the dots on this. would afghanistan be the safe harbor had not joe biden withdrawn one year ago, this month? >> will never know, but i'm with you on that one, todd. it would be much better to follow the original intent of the agreement, which included keeping america safe, keeping 2500 u.s. troops appear quite great that we did that strike. really good work there by the cia, but the fact is that we don't have that presence on the ground and the security agreement, which was keeping an eye on the taliban itself. we are in a weaker position. this is not how afghanistan was supposed to have turned up. it's pretty bad. >> carle

official says ayman al-zawahiri was identified spending timen the balcony of the house where he was eventuallytruck early on sunday morning. >> we have eliminated the leader of al qaeda, he will never again allow afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he is gone and we will make sure that nothing else happens. it cannot be a launching pad, we are going to see that will not happen. >> he was osama bin laden's right hand man before succeeding him as the leader of al qaeda. he was responsible for planning the 9/11 attacks and other operations including two u.s. embassy bombings in east africa in 1998 and the attack on the u.s. cold war ship in yemen in 2000. following the strike that followed him, the taliban accused the u.s. of violating international principles and an agreement. the americans say that the taliban has broken the deal because they were harboring al qaeda. >> this journalist lived in afghanistan and i asked if he was surprised that ayman al-zawahiri had been living in kabul. >> i was surprised, it was a 10 minute walk from my apartment. i would ask everybody was also

priorities when it comes to counterterrorism and look at this mean for the world to have someone like al-zawahiri now gone? >> it is obviously a man who had hands in the operations of al-qaeda. they've had a lower profile because, obviously, the attention focused on isis. i think one important point to make is the last major instead we had like this was baghdadi. the isis leader in syria. that is some video special forces pulled off as they were withdrawing from northern syria because of turkey moving in there. that was remarkable feat. this still occurs, u.s. intelligence leaving this a year after the u.s. was pulled out of afghanistan. so clearly, the reach is pretty remarkable. there is not a question i think as to what's next for al-qaeda? who takes his place? there's a man called abdul who the u.s. is said is in iran, neighboring around. the question of course, for around, if they accept that is the case. does he stay there? are they effectively harboring the new leader of al-qaeda? these are urgent questions, certainly, for the region and certainly to for what the taliban can do to try and

there are two big international stories at this hour, al zawahiri was killed in a u.s. drone strike on sunday and now cnn identified the house where it happened. >>> and right now china is threatening to start air and sea military exercises around taiwan, this is a direct response to house speaker nancy pelosi's arrival there. the house speaker is the first high ranking u.s. official to visit taiwan in 25 years. a landmark flashed a sign that said speaker pelosi welcome to taiwan. >> china is not mincing words, the foreign ministry issued a statement, quote, this is a serious rye lags of the one china principle it has severe impact on the political foundation of china/u.s. relations. kylie atwood joins us now. tell us the reaction. >> the biden administration is trying to bring the temperature down right now. you see china raising the temperature and doing a number of things. taiwan said that a number of the government websites in the country have faced threats, cyber attacks in the last 24 hours as the trip was about to occur. we know there have been war planes that ch

what is your assessment of the meaning of this strike and the end of al-zawahiri as well as the position about al-quaida and the taliban now in afghanistan today. >> it is a very important achievement by our intelligence and counter terrorism communities. a tribute to their tenacity, their creativity, their determination. it also reveals the taliban has not lived up to the dohan agreement. they said they would not allow extremists on their soil. the taliban refused to eliminate themselves in the wake of the 9-11 attacks. i should note that we have had to keep al-quaida from trying to re-establish various sanctuaries there over the years, including when i was the commander in afghanistan and that continues even in the wake of the operation that brought osama bin laden to justice. in fact, in the final few months that i was the commander there, an operation over seen by the forces. very important achievement. but one that is very clear evidence that the taliban are not living up to the agreement that they made and that we will have to keep very significant resources focused in afghanistan

was carefully planned, minimized the risk of harm to other civilians. >> reporter: the fact that al-zawahiri a violation of the taliban's commitment not to harbor terrorists. >> we are communicating directly with the taliban about their obligations not to allow al qaeda to use afghanistan as a basis for plotting. >> reporter: al-zawahiri played a key role in the 9/11 attacks in plots that murder americans overseas at two u.s. embassies in east africa, and on the uss "cole" in yemen. after navy seals raided this compound in pakistan, killing osama bin laden, al-zawahiri took over. after last year's chaotic withdrawal of u.s. forces from afghanistan, mr. biden insisted the weekend strike shows the u.s. ability to target terrorists remains strong. >> 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. >> reporter: in addition, saif al adel, described as the terror group's military leader, is the likely successor. a former senior u.s. military official told cbs news that while the leadership has changed, al q

wherever they are _ al—zawahiri and al-qaeda wherever they are in — al—zawahiri and al-qaeda wherever agreement. can you commit— violation of the doha agreement. can you commit that they will be some act to— you commit that they will be some act to demonstrate there will be held accountable in some way? and how to _ held accountable in some way? and how to do _ held accountable in some way? and how to do that without looking like yeah. we _ how to do that without looking like yeah, we will take out one by want to keep _ yeah, we will take out one by want to keep allowing more in? i�*m yeah, we will take out one by want to keep allowing more in?- to keep allowing more in? i'm not ioiin to to keep allowing more in? i'm not going to telegraph _ to keep allowing more in? i'm not going to telegraph punches - to keep allowing more in? i'm not going to telegraph punches that i to keep allowing more in? i'm not i going to telegraph punches that have been thrown yet or decisions that haven't been made yet. where you stay vigilant to the threat, we made it clear to the taliban that we know what