Questions linger after Zawahiri is killed
2nd August 2022
Zawahiri’s death is notable because he was the world’s most wanted jihadist. But drone killings of Islamic terrorists have become so routine that they seem barely worth mentioning anymore. Zawahiri is hardly the first senior-level terrorist killed this year — and he may not be the last. In February, US special operations forces descended upon ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi’s house in northwestern Syria after months of meticulous planning, whereupon Qurayshi did the rest, blowing himself up. In June, a US drone strike killed Abu Hamzah al-Yemeni, a senior leader of an al-Qaeda-linked group in the same area. In July, another drone strike wiped out Maher al-Agal, the leader of ISIS in Syria. The US has spent two decades honing its craft; it’s now a highly proficient terrorist killing machine.
Good to know.