[ad_1]
The US State Department on Tuesday warned American citizens abroad of an increased threat of “anti-American violence” following the announcement this week that a US airstrike had killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Arabiya. mentionted on Wednesday.
Washington was issued warning to US embassies and consulates on August 2 as part of a “Global Alert” announcement. The US State Department last updated its Global Alert on January 15, 2019, highlighting the significance of Tuesday’s announcement.
“Following the death of al-Zawahiri, supporters of al-Qaeda or its affiliated terrorist organizations may seek to attack US facilities, personnel, or civilians,” the press release said in part.
The State Department said it “believes there is a greater potential for anti-American violence given the death of Ayman al-Zawahiri on July 31, 2022.”
“Current information indicates that terrorist organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks against US interests in many areas around the world. These attacks may use a wide variety of tactics, including suicide operations, assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings, and bombings,” the office explained.
US President Joe Biden was announced on August 1 that a US airstrike killed al-Zawahiri in Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 30.
“None of his family members were injured and there were no civilian casualties,” Biden noted.
Al-Zawahiri was the most recent leader of al-Qaeda, an international Sunni jihadist terrorist group. He succeeded former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011 after a US special forces unit neutralized bin Laden in Pakistan in May of that year. Bin Laden masterminded the al-Qaeda terrorist attacks on US soil on September 11, 2001. The actions prompted Washington to launch His war in Afghanistan (2001-2021). The US government suspected that the Afghan Taliban terrorist group harbored bin Laden in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks and believed that he had generally provided safe haven to al Qaeda associates.
Al-Zawahiri served as bin Laden’s deputy before he reigned as al-Qaeda’s leader, meaning his history with the terror group spanned decades.
US President Joe Biden recalled some of the most serious terrorist attacks carried out by al-Zawahiri when announcing the leader’s death on August 1, stating:
He was deeply involved in the planning of 9/11 [September 11, 2001 terror attacks]one of the most responsible for the attacks that killed 2,977 people on American soil.
For decades, he masterminded attacks against Americans, including the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 American sailors and injured dozens more.
He played a key role – a key role in the bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 and injuring over 4,500 others.
Biden further noted that al-Zawahiri had “made videos, among other things, in recent weeks calling on his followers to attack the United States and our allies.”
[ad_2]
Source link
