Does the law of armed conflict apply to drone strikes that take place outside Afghanistan?.war against Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated forces that began in Afghanistan? Or is it somehow a separate counterterrorism effort outside the law of armed conflict with particular rules and policies? Is the drone program simply a part of the ongoing U.S.The relevant questions about that framework include: But an understanding of the legal framework is necessary to evaluate the new information and the legality of the drone program. In fact, the Obama administration has never been completely clear about its views on the legal basis for the drone program. However, this new information is unlikely to directly address the question of what legal framework governs such drone strikes.

The Obama administration recently promised to release information about the number of civilians killed, as well as its policy guidance governing drone strikes outside Afghanistan. There is also a widespread perception that strikes have killed many civilians and that they are illegal. Many questions have surfaced about the effectiveness of using drone strikes. 11 attacks on the United States.īin Laden was killed in 2011 by US forces in Pakistan.There has been much controversy and criticism about drone strikes conducted by the United States, especially those that have targeted Al Qaeda operatives outside Afghanistan in Yemen, Somalia, and the border regions of Pakistan. Zawahiri's whereabouts – variously rumored to be in Pakistan's tribal area or inside Afghanistan – had been unknown until the strike.Ī video released in April in which he praised an Indian Muslim woman for defying a ban on wearing an Islamic head scarf dispelled rumors that he had died.īoth bin laden and Zawahiri eluded capture when US-led forces toppled Afghanistan’s Islamic Emirate government in late 2001 following the Sept. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people and wounded more than 5,000 others. He was indicted in the United States for his role in the August 7, 1998, bombings of the U.S. With other senior al Qaeda members, Zawahiri is believed to have plotted the October 12, 2000, attack on the USS Cole naval vessel in Yemen which killed 17 US sailors and injured more than 30 others, the Rewards for Justice website said. One Taliban source, requesting anonymity, said there had been reports of at least one drone flying over Kabul that morning. There were no casualties as the house was empty,' Abdul Nafi Takor, spokesman of the interior ministry, said earlier. 'A house was hit by a rocket in Sherpoor. In a statement, Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that a strike took place and strongly condemned it, calling it a violation of 'international principles.'Ī loud explosion echoed through Kabul early Sunday morning. The move may bolster the credibility of Washington's assurances that the United States can still address threats from Afghanistan without a military presence in the country. The drone attack is the first known US strike inside Afghanistan since US troops and diplomats left the country in August 2021. His death raises questions about whether Zawahiri received sanctuary from the Islamic Emirate following their takeover of Kabul in August 2021. There were rumors of Zawahiri's death several times in recent years, and he was long reported to have been in poor health. It was not immediately clear how the United States, which does not have US troops on the ground, confirmed that Zawahiri had been killed. 'The operation was successful and there were no civilian casualties,' the official added. 'Over the weekend, the United States conducted a counterterrorism operation against a significant al Qaeda target in Afghanistan,' a senior administration official said. One of the US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the CIA carried out a drone strike in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who had a $25 million bounty on his head, helped coordinate the Sept. (Reuters) – US President Joe Biden in a live address said: 'Justice has been delivered' in US strike killing al-Qaida leader al-Zawahri 'this terrorist leader is no more.' He confirmed reports that began hours earlier about the attack.Īl Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a US drone strike in Afghanistan over the weekend, Biden confirmed and US officials said earlier, the biggest blow to the militant group since its founder Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011.

Us drone strikes