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US Officials Describe Operation Against al-Qaida’s Leader
American officials announced Monday that U.S. forces had carried out a weekend airstrike in Afghanistan that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
U.S. officials say al-Zawahiri helped al-Qaida's top leader Osama bin1 Laden2 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.
Officials in the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden recently provided details about the killing3 to reporters from the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters. The officials spoke4 about the operation on the condition that they not be named.
One official said the operation to find and kill al-Zawahiri had been the result of "careful" and "persistent5" planning. Before the announcement of his killing, al-Zawahiri was believed to have been living either in Pakistan's tribal6 area or inside Afghanistan.
Since the U.S. withdrawal7 from Afghanistan about one year ago, officials had been watching for signs of al-Qaida's presence in the country, the officials said.
This 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.
Several 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.
Officials said they had fully8 investigated the building and identified other people who were living there. Investigators9 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 civilians11 and al-Zawahiri's family, officials said.
In recent weeks, President Biden held meetings with close advisors12 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.
Biden "asked detailed13 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.
Biden asked about lighting14, 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 ramifications16 of carrying out an airstrike in Kabul.
A group of government lawyers examined the intelligence reporting. They confirmed that al-Zawahiri was a lawful17 target based on his continuing leadership of al-Qaida.
On 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.
After 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 civilian10 casualties.
The 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.
The 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.
Experts 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.
Words in This Story
persistent – adj. continuing over and over again
balcony – n. a small area joined to the wall outside a room on a high level where a person can stand or sit
ramification15 – n. possible results of an action
precise – adj. exact and accurate
tailored –adj. describing something made for a particular person
1 bin | |
n.箱柜;vt.放入箱内;[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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2 laden | |
adj.装满了的;充满了的;负了重担的;苦恼的 | |
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3 killing | |
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 | |
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4 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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5 persistent | |
adj.坚持不懈的,执意的;持续的 | |
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6 tribal | |
adj.部族的,种族的 | |
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7 withdrawal | |
n.取回,提款;撤退,撤军;收回,撤销 | |
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8 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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9 investigators | |
n.调查者,审查者( investigator的名词复数 ) | |
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10 civilian | |
adj.平民的,民用的,民众的 | |
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11 civilians | |
平民,百姓( civilian的名词复数 ); 老百姓 | |
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12 advisors | |
n.顾问,劝告者( advisor的名词复数 );(指导大学新生学科问题等的)指导教授 | |
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13 detailed | |
adj.详细的,详尽的,极注意细节的,完全的 | |
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14 lighting | |
n.照明,光线的明暗,舞台灯光 | |
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15 ramification | |
n.分枝,分派,衍生物 | |
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16 ramifications | |
n.结果,后果( ramification的名词复数 ) | |
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17 lawful | |
adj.法律许可的,守法的,合法的 | |
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