Ayman al-Zawahiri

Page semi-protected
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Knights Under the Prophet's Banner
)

Ayman al-Zawahiri
أيمن الظواهري
Muhammad abd-al-Salam Faraj
Succeeded byPosition disestablished (merged with Al-Qaeda)
Personal details
Born(1951-06-19)19 June 1951
Giza, Kingdom of Egypt
Died31 July 2022(2022-07-31) (aged 71)
Kabul, Afghanistan
Cause of deathDrone strike
Spouses
Azza Ahmad
(m. 1978; died 2001)
  • Umayma Hasan
Children7
Alma materCairo University
OccupationSurgeon
Military career
Allegiance
Years of service1974–2022
RankGeneral Emir of Al-Qaeda
Battles/wars

Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri (

Arabic: أيمن محمد ربيع الظواهري, romanizedʾAyman Muḥammad Rabīʿ aẓ-Ẓawāhirī; 19 June 1951 – 31 July 2022) was an Egyptian-born militant and physician who served as the second general emir of al-Qaeda from June 2011 until his death
in July 2022.

Al-Zawahiri graduated from Cairo University with a degree in medicine and a master's degree in surgery and was a surgeon by profession. He became a leading figure in the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, an Egyptian Islamist organization, and eventually attained the rank of emir. He was imprisoned from 1981 to 1984 for his role in the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. His actions against the Egyptian government, including his planning of the 1995 attack on the Egyptian Embassy in Pakistan, resulted in him being sentenced to death in absentia during the 1999 "Returnees from Albania" trial.

A close associate of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, al-Zawahiri held significant sway over the group's operations. He was wanted by the United States and the United Nations, respectively, for his role in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania and in the 2002 Bali bombings. He merged the Egyptian Islamic Jihad with al-Qaeda in 2001 and formally became bin Laden's deputy in 2004. He succeeded bin Laden as al-Qaeda's leader after bin Laden's death in 2011. In May 2011, the U.S. announced a $25 million bounty for information leading to his capture.

On July 31, 2022, al-Zawahiri was killed in a U.S.

drone strike
in Afghanistan.

Personal life

Early life

Ayman al-Zawahiri was born on 19 June 1951 in Giza, Egypt[2][3] to Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri and Umayma Azzam.[4]

Islamist intellectual and activist, for a time secretary-general of the Islamic Council of Europe based in London.[9] The wealthy and prestigious family is also linked to the Red Sea Harbi tribe in Zawahir, a small town in Saudi Arabia, located in the Badr.[10]
He also has a maternal link to the house of Saud: Muna, the daughter of Azzam Pasha (his maternal great-uncle), is married to Mohammed bin Faisal Al Saud, the son of the late King Faisal.[11]

Ayman Al-Zawahiri said that he has a deep affection for his mother. Her brother, Mahfouz Azzam, became a role model for him as a teenager.

interim government of Egypt. His lawyer said he had been held to extract information about his brother Ayman al-Zawahiri.[19] On March 20, 2011, he was re-arrested.[20] On August 17, 2013, Egyptian authorities arrested Muhammad al-Zawahiri at his home in Giza.[21] He was acquitted in 2017.[22]

Youth

Ayman al-Zawahiri was reportedly a studious youth. He excelled in school, loved poetry, and "hated violent sports", which he thought were "inhumane." Al-Zawahiri studied medicine at Cairo University and graduated in 1974 with gayyid giddan, or roughly on par with a grade of "B" in the American grading system. Following that, he served 1974–1978 as a surgeon in the Egyptian Army[23][24] after which he established a clinic near his parents in Maadi.[25] In 1978, he also earned a master's degree in surgery.[26] He spoke Arabic, English,[27][28] and French.[29]

Al-Zawahiri participated in

Islamic history.[32]

Underground cell

By the age of 15, al-Zawahiri had formed an

conspiracy. Following the execution, al-Zawahiri, along with four other secondary school students, helped form an "underground cell devoted to overthrowing the government and establishing an Islamist state." It was at this early age that al-Zawahiri developed a mission in life, "to put Qutb's vision into action."[33] His cell eventually merged with others to form al-Jihad or Egyptian Islamic Jihad.[25]

Marriages and children

Ayman al-Zawahiri was married at least four times. His wives include Azza Ahmed Nowari and Umaima Hassan.

In 1978, al-Zawahiri married his first wife, Azza Ahmed Nowari, a student at Cairo University who was studying philosophy.[30] Their wedding, which was held at the Continental Hotel in Opera Square,[30] was very conservative, with separate areas for both men and women, and no music, photographs, or gaiety in general.[34] Many years later, when the United States attacked Afghanistan following the September 11 attacks in October 2001, Azza apparently had no idea that al-Zawahiri had supposedly been a jihadi emir (commander) for the last decade.[35]

Al-Zawahiri and his wife, Azza, had four daughters, Fatima (born 1981), Umayma (born 1983),

Abu Turab Al-Urduni had married one of al-Zawahiri's daughters.[37]

Ayman al-Zawahiri's first wife Azza and two of their six children, Mohammad and Aisha, were killed in an airstrike on

Gardez, Azza was pinned under the debris of a guesthouse roof. Concerned for her modesty, she "refused to be excavated" because "men would see her face" and she died from her injuries the following day. Her son, Mohammad, was also killed outright in the same house. Her four-year-old daughter with Down syndrome, Aisha, had not been hurt by the bombing, but died from exposure in the cold night while Afghan rescuers tried to save Azza.[40]

In the first half of 2005, one of Al-Zawahiri's three surviving wives gave birth to a daughter, named Nawwar.[41]

In June 2012, one of al-Zawahiri's four wives, Umaima Hassan, released a statement on the internet congratulating the role played by Muslim women in the Arab Spring.[42] She is also known to have written a leaflet explaining women's role in jihad.[43]

Medical career

In 1981, Ayman al-Zawahiri traveled to

Red Crescent hospital treating wounded refugees. There, he became friends with Ahmed Khadr, and the two shared a number of conversations about the need for Islamic government and the needs of the Afghan people.[citation needed
]

Ayman al-Zawahiri worked as a surgeon. In 1985, al-Zawahiri went to Saudi Arabia on Hajj and stayed to practice medicine in Jeddah for a year.[44] As a reportedly qualified surgeon, when his organization merged with bin Laden's al-Qaeda, he became bin Laden's personal advisor and physician. He had first met bin Laden in Jeddah in 1986.[45] According to other sources, they met the first time in 1986 at a hospital in Peshawar.[46]

In 1993, al-Zawahiri traveled to the United States, where he addressed several mosques in California under his Abdul Mu'iz pseudonym, relying on his credentials from the Kuwaiti Red Crescent to raise money for Afghan children who had been injured by Soviet land mines—he raised only $2000.[47]

Militant activity

Assassination plots

Egypt

In 1981, Al-Zawahiri was one of hundreds arrested following the

Khalid Islambouli, who succeeded in assassinating Sadat during a military parade that October.[49] His lawyer, Montasser el-Zayat, said that al-Zawahiri was tortured in prison.[50]

In his book, Al-Zawahiri as I Knew Him, Al-Zayat maintains that under torture by the Egyptian police, following his arrest in connection with the murder of Sadat in 1981, Al-Zawahiri revealed the hiding place of Essam al-Qamari, a key member of the Maadi cell of al-Jihad, which led to Al-Qamari's "arrest and eventual execution."[51] He was released from prison in 1984.[52]

In 1993, al-Zawahiri's and Egyptian Islamic Jihad's (

al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, that had killed over 200 people. Her funeral became a public spectacle, with her coffin carried through the streets of Cairo and crowds shouting, "Terrorism is the enemy of God!"[53] The police arrested 280 more of al-Jihad's members and executed six.[54]

For their leading role in anti-Egyptian Government attacks in the 1990s, al-Zawahiri and his brother Muhammad al-Zawahiri were sentenced to death in the 1999 Egyptian case of the Returnees from Albania.[18][17]

Pakistan

The 1995 attack on the Egyptian embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, was carried out by the Egyptian Islamic Jihad under al-Zawahiri's leadership, but Bin Laden had disapproved of the operation. The bombing alienated Pakistan, which was "the best route into Afghanistan".[55]

In July 2007, Al-Zawahiri supplied direction for the

madrasah. This conflict resulted in 100 deaths.[56]

On December 27, 2007, al-Zawahiri was also implicated in the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.[57]

Sudan

In 1994, the sons[

which?] were ordered to leave the Sudan.[58][59]

United States

Rewards for Justice Program's bounty flyer offering US$25,000,000 for information about al-Zawahiri

In 1998, Ayman al-Zawahiri was listed as under indictment

embassies in the major East African cities of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya.[61]

In 2000, the USS Cole bombing encouraged several members to depart. Mohammed Atef escaped to Kandahar, al-Zawahiri to Kabul, and Bin Laden also fled to Kabul, later joining Atef when he realised no American reprisal attacks were forthcoming.[62]

On October 10, 2001, al-Zawahiri appeared on the initial list of the U.S.

Saif al-Adl, and Shaykh Asim Abdulrahman.[63]

Organizations

Egyptian Islamic Jihad

Al-Zawahiri began reconstituting the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) along with other exiled militants.[64][when?]

In Peshwar, al-Zawahiri was thought to have become

radicalized by other Al-Jihad members, abandoning his old strategy of a swift coup d'état to change society from above, and embracing the idea of takfir.[65] In 1991, EIJ broke with al-Zumur, and al-Zawahiri grabbed "the reins of power" to become EIJ leader.[66]

Ayman al-Zawahiri was previously the second and last "

Abbud al-Zumar in the latter role when Egyptian authorities sentenced al-Zumar to life imprisonment. Ayman al-Zawahiri eventually became one of Egyptian Islamic Jihad's leading organizers and recruiters. Al-Zawahiri's hope was to recruit military officers and accumulate weapons, waiting for the right moment to launch "a complete overthrow of the existing order."[67] Chief strategist of Al-Jihad was Aboud al-Zumar, a colonel in the military intelligence whose plan was to kill the main leaders of the country, capture the headquarters of the army and State Security, the telephone exchange building, and of course the radio and television building, where news of the Islamic revolution would then be broadcast, unleashing – he expected – "a popular uprising against secular authority all over the country."[67]

Maktab al-Khadamat

In

Palestinian Sheikh Abdullah Yusuf Azzam. The radical position of al-Zawahiri and the other militants of Al-Jihad put them at odds with Sheikh Azzam, with whom they competed for bin Laden's financial resources.[68] Al-Zawahiri carried two false passports, a Swiss one in the name of Amin Uthman and a Dutch one in the name of Mohmud Hifnawi.[69]

British journalist

CIA poured into Afghanistan reached his group."[70]

Former

FBI agent Ali Soufan mentioned in his book The Black Banners that Ayman al-Zawahiri is suspected of ordering Azzam's assassination in 1989.[71]

Al-Qaeda

This 2001 image used by the FBI shows Ayman al-Zawahiri in Khost, Afghanistan.[72]

According to reports by a former al-Qaeda member, al-Zawahiri worked in the al-Qaeda organization since its inception and was a senior member of the group's shura council. He was often described as a "lieutenant" to Osama bin Laden, though bin Laden's chosen biographer has referred to him as the "real brains" of al-Qaeda.[73]

On February 23, 1998, al-Zawahiri issued a joint

World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders". Al-Zawahiri, not bin Laden, is thought to have been the actual author of the fatwa.[74]

Bin Laden and al-Zawahiri organized an al-Qaeda congress on June 24, 1998. A week prior to the beginning of the conference, a group of well-armed assistants to al-Zawahiri had left by jeeps in the direction of Herat. Following the instructions of their patron, in the town of Koh-i-Doshakh, they met three unknown Slavic-looking men who had arrived from Russia via Iran. After their arrival in Kandahar, they split up. One of the Russians was directly escorted to al-Zawahiri and he did not participate in the conference. Western military intelligence succeeded in acquiring photographs of him, but he disappeared for six years. According to Axis Globe, in 2004, when Qatar and the U.S. investigated Russian embassy officials whom the United Arab Emirates had arrested in connection to the murder of Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev in Qatar, computer software precisely established that a man who had walked to the Russian embassy in Doha was the same one who visited al-Zawahiri prior to the Al-Qaida conference.[75]

Al-Zawahiri was placed under

Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee as a member of the Salafi-jihadist group al-Qaeda.[76]

In June 2001, al-Zawahiri formally merged the Egyptian Islamic Jihad into al-Qaeda.[77]

In late 2001, a computer was seized that was stolen from an office used by al-Qaeda immediately after the fall of Kabul in November. This computer was mainly used by al-Zawahiri and contained the fraudulent letter used to arrange the meeting between two al-Qaeda attackers posing as journalists and Ahmad Shah Massoud. The journalists who conducted the interview assassinated Massoud on September 9, 2001.[78]

Emergence as al-Qaeda's chief commander

In late 2004 bin Laden named al-Zawahiri officially as his deputy.

U.S. State Department reported that al-Zawahiri had emerged as al-Qaeda's operational and strategic commander,[80] and that Osama bin Laden was now only the ideological figurehead of the organization.[80] After the 2011 death of bin Laden, a senior U.S. intelligence official said intelligence gathered in the raid showed that bin Laden remained deeply involved in planning: "This compound (where bin Laden was killed) in Abbottabad was an active command-and-control center for al-Qaeda's leader. He was active in operational planning and in driving tactical decisions within al-Qaeda."[81]

Following the death of bin Laden, former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism Juan Zarate said that al-Zawahiri would "clearly assume the mantle of leadership" of al-Qaeda.[82] A senior U.S. administration official said that although al-Zawahiri was likely to be al-Qaeda's next leader, his authority was not "universally accepted" among al-Qaeda's followers, particularly in the Gulf region. Zarate said that al-Zawahiri was more controversial and less charismatic than bin Laden.[83] Rashad Mohammad Ismail (AKA "Abu Al-Fida"), a leading member of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, stated that al-Zawahiri was the best candidate.[84]

Hamid Mir is reported to have said that he believed that Ayman al-Zawahiri was the operational head of al-Qaeda, and that "[h]e is the person who can do the things that happened on September 11."[73] Within days of the attacks, al-Zawahiri's name was put forward as bin Laden's second-in-command, with reports suggesting he represented "a more formidable US foe than bin Laden."[85]

Formal appointment

Al-Zawahiri became the leader of al-Qaeda following the May 2, 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden.[82] His succession to that role was announced on several of their websites on June 16, 2011.[86][39] On the same day, al-Qaeda renewed its position that Israel was an illegitimate state and that it would not accept any compromise on Palestine.[87]

The delayed announcement led some analysts to speculate that there was quarreling within al-Qaeda: "It doesn't suggest a vast reservoir of accumulated goodwill for him," said one celebrity journalist on

Mike Mullen maintain that the delay didn't signal any kind of dispute within al-Qaeda,[89] and Mullen reiterated U.S. death threats toward al-Zawahiri.[90] According to US officials within the Obama administration and Robert Gates, al-Zawahiri would find the leadership difficult as, while intelligent, he lacks combat experience and the charisma of Osama bin Laden.[89][91][90]

Activities in Iran

Al-Zawahiri allegedly worked with the Islamic Republic of Iran on behalf of al-Qaeda. Author

Islamic Revolution and "sought training from the Iranians" as to how to duplicate their feat against the Egyptian government.[citation needed
]

He offered Iran information about an Egyptian government plan to storm several islands in the Persian Gulf that both Iran and the United Arab Emirates lay claim to. According to Mohammed, in return for this information, the Iranian government paid al-Zawahiri $2 million and helped train members of al-Jihad in a coup attempt that never actually took place.[92]

In public, al-Zawahiri harshly denounced the Iranian government. In December 2007, he said, "We discovered Iran collaborating with America in its invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq." In the same video messages, he moreover chides Iran for "repeating the ridiculous joke that says that al-Qaida and the Taliban are agents of America," before playing a video clip in which

Ayatollah Rafsanjani
says, "In Afghanistan, they were present in Afghanistan, because of Al-Qa'ida; and the Taliban, who created the Taliban? America is the one who created the Taliban, and America's friends in the region are the ones who financed and armed the Taliban."

Al-Zawahiri's criticism of Iran's government continues when he states,

Despite Iran's repetition of the slogan 'Death to America, death to Israel,' we haven't heard even one Fatwa from one Shiite authority, whether in Iran or elsewhere, calling for Jihad against the Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Al-Zawahiri said that "Iran stabbed a knife into the back of the Islamic Nation."[93]

In April 2008, al-Zawahiri blamed Iranian state media and

to discredit the Al Qaeda network.[94] Al-Zawahiri was referring to some 9/11 conspiracy theories that claim that Al Qaeda was not responsible for the 9/11 attacks.[citation needed
]

On the seventh anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, al-Zawahiri released a 90-minute tape[95] in which he blasted "the guardian of Muslims in Tehran" for recognizing "the two hireling governments"[96] in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Activities in Russia

At some point in 1994, al-Zawahiri was said to have "become a phantom"[97] but is thought to have traveled widely to "Switzerland and Sarajevo". A fake passport he was using shows that he traveled to Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong.[98]

On December 1, 1996,

Ibn Khattab.[97][99][100][101]

There have been doubts as to the true nature of al-Zawahiri's encounter with the Russians in 1996.

Northern Caucasus, during 1996–1997."[109]

Activities in Egypt

Al-Zawahiri was convicted of dealing in weapons and received a three-year sentence, which he completed in 1984, shortly after his conviction.[110]

Al-Zawahiri learned of a "

Temple of Hatshepsut to sabotage the initiative by provoking the government into repression.[112]

The attack by six men dressed in police uniforms succeeded in machine-gunning and hacking to death 58 foreign tourists and four

Egyptians
, including "a five-year-old British child and four Japanese couples on their honeymoons," and devastated the Egyptian tourist industry for a number of years. Nonetheless, the Egyptian reaction was not what al-Zawahiri had hoped for. The attack so stunned and angered Egyptian society that Islamists denied responsibility. Al-Zawahiri blamed the police for the killing, but also held the tourists responsible for their own deaths for coming to Egypt,

The people of Egypt consider the presence of these foreign tourists to be aggression against Muslims and Egypt... The young men are saying that this is our country and not a place for frolicking and enjoyment, especially for you.[113]

Al-Zawahiri was

military tribunal.[114]

Activities and whereabouts after the September 11 attacks

In December 2001, al-Zawahiri published a book entitled Fursan Taht Rayat al Nabi[115] (Knights Under the Prophet's Banner) which outlined ideologies of al-Qaeda.[116] English translations of this book were published; excerpts are available online.[117]

...The second power depends on God alone, then on its wide popularity and alliance with other jihad movements throughout the Islamic nation, from Chechnya in the north to Somalia in the south and from "Eastern Turkestan in the east to Morocco in the west.[118][119][self-published source?][120]

...It seeks revenge against the gang-leaders of global unbelief, the United States, Russia, and Israel. It demands the blood price for the martyrs, the mothers' grief, the deprived orphans, the suffering prisoners, and the torments of those who are tortured everywhere in the Islamic lands―from Turkistan in the east to Andalusia.[121]

...It also gave young Muslim mujahidin―Arabs, Pakistanis, Turks, and Muslims from Central and East Asia―a great opportunity to get acquainted with each other on the land of Afghan jihad through their comradeship-at-arms against the enemies of Islam.[122][123][124]

Osama bin Laden sits with his adviser al-Zawahiri during an interview with Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir, in November 2001.

Following the

videos of himself frequently, al-Zawahiri did not appear alongside bin Laden in any of them after 2003. In 2003, it was rumored that he was under arrest in Iran, although this was later discovered to be false.[125]

On January 13, 2006, the

On August 1, 2008,

Maulvi Umar told the Associated Press on August 2, 2008, that the report of al-Zawahiri's injury was false.[128]

In early September 2008, Pakistan Army claimed that they "almost" captured al-Zawahiri after getting information that he and his wife were in the

Mohmand Agency, in northwest Pakistan. After raiding the area, officials didn't find him.[129]

General Emir of al-Qaeda

In two videos posted on Jihadist websites in 2012, al-Zawahiri called on Muslims to "capture" foreign citizens to leverage the release of Omar Abdel-Rahman, mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.[130] In the videos, al-Zawahiri cited to the successful kidnapping of Jewish American Warren Weinstein in 2011 as precedent for further kidnappings. Al-Zawahiri also called for the institution of Sharia law in Egypt and questioned the views of then-President of Egypt Mohamed Morsi.[citation needed]

In June 2013, al-Zawahiri

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as was declared in April by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.[131] Abu Mohammad al-Julani, leader of al-Nusra Front, affirmed the group's allegiance to al-Qaeda and al-Zawahiri.[132][133]

In September 2015, al-Zawahiri urged Islamic State (ISIL) to stop fighting al-Nusra Front, the official al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria,[134] and to unite with all other jihadists against the supposed alliance between America, Russia, Europe, Shiites and Iran, and Bashar al-Assad's Alawite regime.[135][136]

Ayman al-Zawahiri released a statement supporting jihad in Xinjiang against Chinese, jihad in the Caucasus against the Russians and naming Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan as battlegrounds.[137] al-Zawahiri endorsed "jihad to liberate every span of land of the Muslims that has been usurped and violated, from Kashgar to Andalusia, and from the Caucasus to Somalia and Central Africa".[138] Uyghurs inhabit Kashgar, the city which was mentioned by al-Zawahiri.[139] In another statement he said, "My mujahideen brothers in all places and of all groups ... we face aggression from America, Europe, and Russia ... so it's up to us to stand together as one from East Turkestan to Morocco".[140][141][142] In 2015, the Turkistan Islamic Party (East Turkistan Islamic Movement) released an image showing Al Qaeda leaders Ayman al-Zawahiri and Osama Bin Laden meeting with Hasan Mahsum.[143][non-primary source needed]

The Uyghurs East Turkestan independence movement was endorsed in the serial "Islamic Spring"'s 9th release by Al-Zawahiri. Al-Zawahiri confirmed that the Afghanistan war after 9/11 included the participation of Uyghurs and that the jihadists like Zarwaqi, Bin Ladin and the Uyghur Hasan Mahsum were provided with refuge together in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.[144][145] Uyghur fighters were praised by al-Zawahiri, before a Turkistan Islamic Party performed a Bishkek bombing on August 30.[146] Uighur jihadists were hailed by Ayman al-Zawahiri.[147]

Doğu Türkistan Bülteni Haber Ajansı reported that the Uyghur

Muhaysini and al-Zawahiri.[148]

Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi and Abu Qatada were referenced by Muhaysini. Osama bin Laden and al-Zawahiri were lauded by Muhaysini.[149]

The Rewards for Justice Program of the U.S. Department of State offered a reward of up to US$25 million for information about al-Zawahiri's location.[150][151]

On July 31, 2022, al-Zawahiri was killed in a US strike in Kabul, Afghanistan. He had been rumoured to be in Pakistan's tribal area or inside Afghanistan. His death is considered to be the biggest hit to the terrorist group since Osama Bin Laden was killed in 2011.[152] Others described his death as "anticlimactic to Al Qaeda's demise", stating "[h]is moves as leader of the shrinking group were watched more by analysts than by jihadists" at the time of his death.[153]

Promotional activities

Al-Zawahiri placed supreme importance on winning public support, and

castigated Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in this regard: "In the absence of this popular support, the Islamic mujahid movement would be crushed in the shadows."[154]

Video and audio messages

2000s
2010s
2020s

Online Q&A

In mid-December 2007, al-Zawahiri's spokespeople announced plans for an "open interview" on a handful of Islamic Web sites. The administrators of four known

innocents, and that al-Qaeda would move to target Israel "after expelling the occupier from Iraq".[172][173]

Views

Islamism

As a leader of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, al-Zawahiri conceived of Islamism in Egypt as a revolutionary movement of heroic fighters who the masses would join in the wake of their victories. The movement was mostly a failure, including its crushing defeat and suppression by the Egyptian government following the assassination of Anwar Sadat. The popular uprising envisioned by al-Zawahiri never came to be, and some Islamist leaders agreed to cease-fire terms with the government. After these events, al-Zawahiri joined Al-Qaeda, which had aims that were international in scope and was focused on the conflict with the United States rather than the ongoing localized conflict with the secular regime in Egypt.[174]

Loyalty and enmity

In a lengthy treatise titled "Loyalty and Enmity", al-Zawahiri said that Muslims must at all times be loyal to Islam and to one another, while hating or avoiding everything and everyone outside of Islam.[175]

Female combatants

Al-Zawahiri said in an April 2008 interview that the group does not have women combatants and that a woman's role is limited to caring for the homes and children of al-Qaeda fighters. This resulted in a debate regarding the role of

Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi.[176]

Iranians

In 2008 he claimed that "Persians" are the enemy of Arabs and that Iran cooperated with the U.S. during the occupation of Iraq.[177]

Death

President Biden delivers remarks confirming that the US military executed a targeted killing
of al-Zawahiri.

Al-Zawahiri was killed on July 31, 2022, shortly after 6:00 AM local time in an early-morning drone strike conducted by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in the upscale Sherpur neighborhood of Kabul, reportedly in a house owned by a top aide to Sirajuddin Haqqani, a senior official in the Taliban government.[178][179][180]

In a statement to reporters, a senior administration official said "over the weekend, the United States conducted a counterterrorism operation against a significant Al Qaeda target in Afghanistan. The operation was successful and there were no civilian casualties."

other civilians.[181][182]

According to U.S. government sources, Al-Zawahiri was killed by Hellfire missiles fired from a

kill by impact and with blades instead of explosion to avoid unintended casualties.[185][186]

Al Qaeda in December 2022 released a video it stated was narrated by al-Zawahiri. The video was undated and did not mention when the recording of the audio was done.[187] In February 2023, the United Nations reported that many member countries believed Saif al-Adel to be the de-facto successor of al-Zawahiri, but al-Qaeda had not formally named him to probably avoid scrutiny against the Taliban for giving shelter to the latter and due to al-Adel living in Iran.[188]

Publications

See also

Notes and references

Citations

  1. ^ "Ayman al Zawahiri". Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  2. ^ "Ayman al-Zawahiri – Rewards For Justice". Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  3. ^ "Security Council Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee Amends One Entry on Its Sanctions List". United Nations. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  4. from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  5. ^ Jehl, Douglas (September 24, 2001). "A Nation Challenged: Heir Apparent; Egyptian Seen As Top Aide And Successor To bin Laden". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  6. ^ Youssef H. Aboul-Enein (March 2004). "Ayman Al-Zawahiri: The Ideologue of Modern Islamic Militancy" (PDF). Air University – Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  7. ^ "Ayman al-Zawahiri Fast Facts". CNN. August 4, 2022. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  8. Olivier Roy, Antoine Sfeir
    (ed.), The Columbia World Dictionary of Islamism, Columbia University Press (2007), p. 419
  9. ^ Lorenzo Vidino, The New Muslim Brotherhood in the West, Columbia University Press (2010), p. 234
  10. .
  11. ^ "Family Tree of Muhammad bin Faysal bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud" Archived February 24, 2019, at the Wayback Machine on Datarabia
  12. ^ Wright 2006, Chapter 2.
  13. ISSN 0028-792X
    . Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  14. ^ "Black Hole: The Fate of Islamists Rendered to Egypt: VI. Muhammad al-Zawahiri and Hussain al-Zawahiri". Human Rights Watch. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  15. ^ Battistini, Francesco (June 12, 2011). "La sorella del nuovo Osama: Mio fratello Al Zawahiri, così timido e silenzioso". Corriere della Sera. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012.
  16. ^ "Egyptian court acquits Mohammed Zawahiri and brother of Sadat's assassin". Al Arabiya English. March 19, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  17. ^ a b "Black Hole: The Fate of Islamists Rendered to Egypt: VI. Muhammad al-Zawahiri and Hussain al-Zawahiri". www.hrw.org. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Muhammad al-Zawahiri". Counter Extremism Project. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  19. ^ Egypt Releases Brother of Al Qaeda's No. 2 Archived April 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Liam Stack, The New York Times, March 17, 2011
  20. Ahram Online
    , March 20, 2011
  21. ^ "Egypt arrests brother of Qaeda chief for 'backing Morsi'". Middle East Online. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  22. ^ "StackPath". dailynewsegypt.com. August 2017. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  23. ^ Scheschkewitz, Daniel (June 16, 2011), "Ayman al-Zawahiri – from medical doctor to al Qaeda chief", DW, archived from the original on August 2, 2022
  24. .
  25. ^ a b Wright, p. 42.
  26. ^ Bergen 2006, p. 66.
  27. ^ "Al-Qaeda Deputy Head Ayman Al-Zawahiri in Audio Recording: Musharraf Accepted Israel's Existence". Memri. Archived from the original on August 13, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
  28. ^ Wilkinson, Isambard (August 11, 2008). "Al-Qa'eda chief Ayman Zawahiri attacks Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf in video". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on May 5, 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  29. ^ "Meet Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Al Qaeda chief who owes allegiance to Taliban supreme leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada". Firstpost. August 17, 2021. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  30. ^
    El-Zayyat, Montasser
    , "Qaeda", 2004. tr. by Ahmed Fakry
  31. ^ Qutb, Milestones, pp. 16, 20 (pp. 17–18).
  32. from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  33. ^ Wright, p. 37.
  34. ^ Wright, pp. 43–44.
  35. ^ Wright, p. 370.
  36. ^ Wright, pp. 254–5.
  37. ^ Intelligence report, interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, February 18, 2004.
  38. ^ "For al-Zawahiri, anti-U.S. fight is personal". CBS News. June 16, 2011. Archived from the original on May 23, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
  39. ^ a b Saad Abedine (June 16, 2011). "Jihadist websites: Ayman al-Zawahiri appointed al Qaeda's new leader". Cable News Network. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  40. ^ Wright, p. 371.
  41. ^ Bergen 2006, p. 367.
  42. ^ Henderson, Barney (June 8, 2012). "Al-Qaeda statement by Ayman al-Zawahiri's wife released". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on October 13, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
  43. ^ Bhattacharya, Snigdhendu (November 14, 2014). "Zawahiri's wife describes women's role in jihad". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  44. ^ Wright, p. 60.
  45. .
  46. ^ Bergen, Peter (August 2, 2022). "Opinion: Charisma-free al-Zawahiri was running al-Qaeda into the ground". CNN. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  47. ^ Wright, p. 179.
  48. ^ Egypt Independent (May 1, 2013). "Mohamed al-Zawahiri denies being arrested in Syria". Archived from the original on March 12, 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
  49. ^ Wright, p. 50.
  50. ^ Bowcott, Owen (January 24, 2003). "Torture trail to September 11: A two-part investigation into state brutality opens with a look at how the violent interrogation of Islamist extremists hardened their views, helped to create al-Qaida and now, more than ever, is fueling fundamentalist hatred". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on March 4, 2006. Retrieved August 29, 2006.
  51. S2CID 145719225
    . Cited in "Ayman Muhammad Rabi' Al-Zawahiri".
    The Jewish Virtual Library. March 11, 2003. Archived
    from the original on July 21, 2006. Retrieved August 29, 2006.
  52. ^ "Ayman al-Zawahiri | Biography, Death, Location, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  53. ^ Wright, p. 186.
  54. ^ "Egyptian Islamic Jihad". www.mideastweb.org. Archived from the original on February 5, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  55. ^ Wright 2006, p. 217.
  56. ^ "The Times & The Sunday Times". Archived from the original on May 10, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  57. ^ "Pakistan: Al-Qaeda claims Bhutto's death". Adnkronos Security. April 7, 2003. Archived from the original on January 11, 2008. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
  58. Asharq Alawsat, Al-Qaeda's secret Emails: Part Four Archived December 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
    , June 19, 2005.
  59. ^ Sageman, Marc, Understanding Terror Networks, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004, p. 45.
  60. Monterey Institute of International Studies. Archived from the original on November 10, 2001. Retrieved April 28, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link
    )
  61. ^ "Ayman al-Zawahiri". FBI Most Wanted Terrorists. Archived from the original on October 24, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  62. ^ 9/11 Commission Report, 9/11 Commission, p. 191.
  63. ^ The Hindu, Taliban grants Osama citizenship[usurped], November 9, 2001.
  64. ^ Wright 2006.
  65. ^ Interview with Usama Rushdi. Wright, 2006, pp. 124–5.
  66. ^ Wright, p. 124.
  67. ^ a b Wright, p. 49.
  68. ^ Wright, p. 103.
  69. ^ Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Summary of the Security Intelligence Report concerning Mahmoud Jaballah[dead link], February 22, 2008.
  70. ^ "Frankenstein the CIA created". The Guardian. January 17, 1999. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  71. ISBN 978-0393079425. Archived from the original
    on January 10, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  72. ^ "Egypt – Al Qaeda Chief Urges Westerner Kidnappings". April 27, 2014. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  73. ^ a b Baldauf, Scott (October 31, 2001). "The 'cave man' and Al Qaeda". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2008.
  74. ^ Wright, p. 259.
  75. ^ Russian Secret Services' Links With Al-Qaeda. Axis Globe. July 18, 2005.
  76. ^ "UN list of affiliates of al-Qaeda and the Taliban". Archived from the original on July 28, 2006.
  77. from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  78. .
  79. from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  80. ^ a b "Al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri calls the shots, says State Department". Daily News. New York. April 30, 2009. Archived from the original on May 4, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  81. ^ "Osama Bin Laden was still in control, U.S. says". Politico. Washington. May 7, 2011. Archived from the original on April 26, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  82. ^ a b Juan Zarate, Chris Wragge, CBS Early Show (May 3, 2011). Who now becomes America's next most wanted terrorist?. Archived from the original on August 19, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  83. Wired News. Archived
    from the original on May 7, 2011. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  84. ^ Moneer, Moneer (May 5, 2011). "AQAP responds to death of bin Laden". Yemen Times. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011.
  85. Independent Online. September 24, 2001. Archived
    from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  86. ^ "Al-Qaeda's remaining leaders". BBC News. June 16, 2015. Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  87. ^ "Al-Qaeda: No compromise on Palestine". Associated Press. June 16, 2011. Archived from the original on June 19, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  88. ^ Moni Basu (June 16, 2011). "Analysis: Al-Zawahiri takes al Qaeda's helm when influence is waning". CNN. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  89. ^ a b "Gates: Al-Zawahri is no bin Laden". USA Today. Associated Press. June 16, 2011. Archived from the original on June 19, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  90. ^ a b "US vows to hunt down, kill new Al-Qaeda leader". Associated Press. June 16, 2011. Archived from the original on June 19, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  91. ^ "US vows to 'capture and kill' Ayman al-Zawahiri". BBC. June 16, 2011. Archived from the original on June 17, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  92. ^ Wright, p. 174.
  93. ^ "Al-Zawahiri in Two Recent Messages: 'Iran Stabbed a Knife into the Back of the Islamic Nation;' Urges Hamas to Declare Commitment to Restoring the Caliphate". MEMRI. December 18, 2007. Archived from the original on January 9, 2008.
  94. ^ "Al-Qaeda accuses Iran of 9/11 lie". BBC News. April 22, 2008. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
  95. ^ a b "Al-Qaida tape blasts Iran for working with U.S." NBC News. September 8, 2008. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
  96. ^ a b "Search – Global Edition – The New York Times". International Herald Tribune. March 29, 2009. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
  97. ^ a b Wright, p. 250.
  98. ^ Wright 2006, p. 279.
  99. ^ a b c The Wall Street Journal, "Saga of Dr. Zawahri Sheds Light On the Roots of al Qaeda Terror".
  100. ^ Gebara, Khalil (February 10, 2005). "The End of Egyptian Islamic Jihad?". The Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on November 21, 2006. Retrieved December 7, 2006.
  101. ^ Naughton, Philippe (August 4, 2005). "The man they call Osama bin Laden's brain". The Times. UK. Retrieved May 3, 2008.
  102. ^ Novikov, Evgenii (January 15, 2004). "A Russian agent at the right hand of bin Laden?". The Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
  103. ^ Finn, Peter (February 27, 2005). "Fear Rules In Russia's Courtrooms". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2008.
  104. ^ a b Schindler, John. "Exploring Al Qaeda's Murky Connection To Russian Intelligence". Business Insider. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  105. ^ "Obituary: Alexander Litvinenko". BBC News. November 24, 2006. Archived from the original on March 7, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
  106. ^ "Al-Qaida Zawahiri trained by Russians". UPI. July 19, 2005. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  107. ^ Osborne, Sean (May 6, 2007). "Ayman al-Zawahiri: Echoes of Alexander Litvinenko". Northeast Intelligence Network. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
  108. ^ Stroilov, Pavel (June 25, 2011). "Moscow's jihadi | The Spectator". www.spectator.co.uk. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  109. ^ Russia and Islam are not Separate: Why Russia backs Al-Qaeda, by Konstantin Preobrazhensky. Archived December 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  110. ^ Wright, pp. 57–8.
  111. ^ Wright, pp. 255–6.
  112. ^ Wright, pp. 256–7.
  113. ^ Wright, pp. 257–8.
  114. ^ "Al Jazeera English – Archive – Profile: Ayman Al-Zawahiri". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007.
  115. ^ .
  116. ^ Aboul-Enein, Youssef H. (January–February 2005). "Ayman Al-Zawahiri's Knights under the Prophet's Banner: the al-Qaeda Manifesto". Military Review. Archived from the original on January 25, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2006.
  117. ^ "Al-Sharq Al-Awsat Publishes Extracts from Al-Jihad Leader Al-Zawahiri's New Book". February 12, 2001. Archived from the original on July 17, 2006. Retrieved August 29, 2006.
  118. .
  119. ]
  120. .
  121. .
  122. .
  123. .
  124. .
  125. ^ AFP, Iran holding Zawahiri, Abu Ghaith; al-Arabiya TV, June 28, 2003. Archived October 13, 2004, at the Wayback Machine
  126. ^ Pakistan: At least 4 terrorists killed in U.S. strike – USA Today Archived June 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  127. ^ "Pakistan rally against US strike". January 15, 2006. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  128. ^ Associated Press, "Missile Strike On Al-Zawahri Disputed Archived December 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine", August 3, 2008.
  129. ^ "No evidence of al Qaeda No. 2's illness or death, U.S. says". CNN. August 1, 2008. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved August 2, 2008.
  130. ^ Chelsea J. Carter (October 27, 2012). "Al Qaeda leader calls for kidnapping of Westerners". CNN. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  131. ^ Atassi, Basma. "Qaeda chief arbitrates Syria's 'jihad crisis'". Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  132. ^ Spencer, Richard (May 19, 2013). "Syria: Jabhat al-Nusra split after leader's pledge of support for al-Qaeda". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  133. ^ "Iraqi al-Qaeda chief rejects Zawahiri orders". Al Jazeera. June 15, 2013. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  134. ^ "Gulf allies and 'Army of Conquest". Al-Ahram Weekly. May 28, 2015. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  135. ^ Joscelyn, Thomas (November 2, 2015). "Al Qaeda chief calls for jihadist unity to 'liberate Jerusalem'". Long War Journal. Archived from the original on December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  136. ^ Joscelyn, Thomas (September 13, 2015). "Zawahiri calls for jihadist unity, encourages attacks in West". Long War Journal. Archived from the original on November 22, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  137. ^ "Zawahiri endorses war in Kashmir but says don't hit Hindus in 'Muslim lands'". The Indian Express. Reuters. September 17, 2013. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  138. ^ Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad (August 13, 2015). "Ayman al-Zawahiri's Pledge of Allegiance to New Taliban Leader Mullah Muhammad Mansour". Middle East Forum. Archived from the original on August 16, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  139. ^ Paraszczuk, Joanna (August 15, 2015). "Why Zawahri's Pledge To Taliban Could Be A Boon For IS". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  140. ^ "Al-Qaeda urges fight against West and Russia". Cairo: Al Arabiya. Reuters. November 2, 2015. Archived from the original on November 3, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  141. ^ Abdelaty, Ali; Knecht, Eric (November 1, 2015). Williams, Alison (ed.). "Al Qaeda chief urges militant unity against Russia in Syria". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  142. ^ Zelin, Aaron Y. (November 1, 2015). "New video message from Dr. Ayman al-Ẓawāhirī: "To Unite for the Liberation of Jerusalem"". Jihadology. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  143. ^ "Caleb Weiss". Archived from the original on May 10, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2015 – via Twitter.
  144. ^ Joscelyn, Thomas (July 7, 2016). "Zawahiri praises Uighur jihadists in ninth episode of 'Islamic Spring' series". Long War Journal. Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  145. ^ "Zawahiri Addresses Uyghur Muslims in Ninth Episode of 'Islamic Spring'". SITE Intelligence Group. July 2, 2016. Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  146. ^ Botobekov, Uran (September 29, 2016). "Al-Qaeda, the Turkestan Islamic Party, and the Bishkek Chinese Embassy Bombing". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  147. ^ "Chinese security under threat from Islamic Uighur militancy". BEIJING. Associated Press. September 10, 2016. Archived from the original on February 22, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  148. ^ "Şeyh Ebu Katade'den Türkistan İslam Cemaati Mücahitlerine Övgü Dolu Sözler". Doğu Türkistan Bülteni Haber Ajansı. November 2, 2016. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017.
  149. ^ Joscelyn, Thomas (February 3, 2014). "Pro-al Qaeda Saudi cleric calls on ISIS members to defect". Long War Journal. Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  150. ^ "Most Wanted Terrorists – Ayman Al-Zawahiri" (PDF). Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Department of Justice. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 10, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  151. ^ "Wanted for Terrorism – Ayman al-Zawahiri profile". Rewards for Justice. Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  152. ^ "A Kabul Safe House – How CIA Identified, Killed Al Qaeda Chief Zawahiri". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  153. ^ Hassan, Hassan (August 2, 2022). "Zawahiri's Death Is Anticlimactic to Al Qaeda's Demise". New Lines Magazine. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  154. ^ Jones, Seth G. (2012). "Think Again: Al Qaeda". Foreign Policy (May/June 2012). Archived from the original on April 28, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
  155. ^ Oliver, Mark (August 4, 2005). "Al-Qaida warns of more London destruction". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 29, 2013. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  156. ^ Dodd, Vikram; Richard Norton-Taylor (September 2, 2005). "Video of 7/7 ringleader blames foreign policy". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on August 29, 2013. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  157. ^ "Al-Zawahiri downplays U.S. efforts in Afghanistan". CNN. September 19, 2005. Retrieved September 19, 2005.[dead link]
  158. ^ "Bin Laden alive claim is from old video". The Guardian. London. December 7, 2005. Archived from the original on August 29, 2013. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  159. ^ "Al Qaeda No. 2: We don't kill innocents". CNN. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  160. ^ "9/11 theory propagated by Iran: Al-Qaeda". Sify. April 22, 2008. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008.
  161. ^ "Al Qaeda message blames Obama, Egypt for Gaza violence". CNN. January 6, 2009. Archived from the original on June 5, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  162. ^ "Zawahri Says Libya Killed Man Who Linked Iraq, Qaeda". The New York Times. October 4, 2009.[dead link]
  163. ^ Anti-Defamation League: "Al Qaeda Second-in-Command Calls for 'Jihad against Jews'" Archived October 30, 2012, at the Wayback Machine December 17, 2009
  164. ^ Al-Qaeda's Zawahiri appears on video but doesn't assert leadership Archived April 11, 2019, at the Wayback Machine – Washington Post, June 9, 2011
  165. ^ "India security alert after Al Qaeda calls for jihad in subcontinent". India Gazette. September 4, 2014. Archived from the original on September 8, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  166. ^ "Indian Muslims Reject al-Qaida call for Jihad". India Gazette. September 6, 2014. Archived from the original on September 8, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  167. ^ "Al Qaeda chief Al Zawahiri defends Muslim Brotherhood in new video". The National. March 22, 2018. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  168. ^ Joscelyn, Thomas (September 12, 2019). "Ayman al-Zawahiri defends 9/11 hijackings in anniversary address | FDD's Long War Journal". FDD's Long War Journal. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  169. ^ "Al Qaeda Leader Al-Zawahiri, Rumoured Dead, Surfaces In Video On 9/11 Anniversary: Report". NDTV. September 12, 2021. Archived from the original on September 13, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  170. ^ "Al Qaeda chief praises Hijab protester Muskaan as 'the noble woman of India'". Hindustan Times. April 6, 2022. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  171. ^ Musharbash, Yassin (January 16, 2007). "Ask al-Qaida: A jihadi advice column? Osama bin Laden's second-in-command answers questions from fans of the terror group worldwide". Salon/Der Spiegel. Archived from the original on April 30, 2008. Retrieved January 16, 2008.
  172. ^ Zawahiri answers back Archived January 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine IHS, May 2, 2008
  173. ^ The Open Meeting with Shaykh Ayman al-Zawahiri archived on March 26, 2009, from the original Archived January 18, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  174. ^ Anti-American Terrorism and the Middle East: Understanding the Violence. Oxford University Press. 2002. p. 45.
  175. .
  176. ^ Frayer, Lauren. "Al-Qaida's Stance on Women Sparks Extremist Debate". ABC News. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved May 31, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Associated Press at ABC News. May 31, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  177. ^ "Al-Qaida tape blasts Iran for working with U.S." Associated Press. September 8, 2008. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  178. from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  179. ^ a b c Ward, Alexander; Toosi, Nahal; Seligman, Lara (August 1, 2022). "U.S. kills Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri in drone strike". Politico. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  180. ^ Lee, Matthew; Merchant, Nomaan; Balsamo, Mike (August 1, 2022). "CIA drone strike kills al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri in Afghanistan". Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  181. ^ Biden confirms death of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in drone strike (News broadcast). 9 News Australia. August 1, 2022. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  182. ^ Alexrod, Tal (August 1, 2022). "Biden announces killing of al-Qaeda leader in Kabul: 'Justice has been delivered'". ABC News. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  183. ^ Yawar, Mohammad Yunus; Ali, Idrees; Mason, Jeff (August 3, 2022). "U.S. kills al Qaeda leader Zawahiri in Kabul drone missile strike". Reuters. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  184. ^ Pilkington, Ed (August 3, 2022). "How Ayman al-Zawahiri's 'pattern of life' allowed the US to kill al-Qaida leader". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  185. ^ Watson, Eleanor (August 2, 2022). "Al-Zawahiri was on his Kabul balcony. How Hellfire missiles took him out". CBS News. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  186. ^ Debusmann, Bernd Jr.; Partridge, Chris (August 3, 2022). "Ayman al-Zawahiri: How US strike could kill al-Qaeda leader – but not his family". BBC News. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  187. ^ "Al Qaeda releases video it claims is narrated by leader al-Zawahiri who was believed dead -SITE". Reuters. December 24, 2022. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  188. from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  189. ^ Christopher Henzel. "The U.S. Army Professional Writing Collection". Army. Archived from the original on August 5, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
  190. ^ "World Islamic Front Statement Urging Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders". Fas.org. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2012.

Works cited

General references

External links

Statements and interviews

Articles