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Blitzed on his balcony: How CIA spied on Ayman al-Zawahiri for six months before pounding terror chief with two Hellfire missiles when he stepped out of Kabul home and 'lingered'
Daily Mail UK ^ | August 1, 2022 | Alex Hammer

Posted on 08/01/2022 8:21:09 PM PDT by Morgana

The United States killed al Qaeda boss Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike Saturday, following a more than 20-year effort to assassinate the terrorist.

Labeled by US officials as Osama bin Laden’s number-two, al-Zawahiri, 71, was a key plotter of the September 11 terrorist attacks and took over as the leader of the notorious terror group following bin Laden’s death in 2011.

The strike was carried out early Sunday at an Afghanistan safe house the elderly terrorist had be holed up in, at 6:18 am local time and 9:48 pm Saturday in the US.

The early morning attack saw al-Zawahiri killed by two hellfire missiles fired from drones deployed by the CIA, as he stood on the balcony of the safe house in downtown Kabul.

The Egyptian-born jihadist apparently proceeded to linger on the landing, as U.S. intelligence had noted he often did, allowing the drone ample time to execute the attack.

The mission, officials said, took six months to plan - but served as the culmination of a much wider, carefully coordinated campaign to track down and kill the al Qaeda head, who had successfully evaded US armed forces up until this point.

The slaying came more than 11 years after Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan by U.S. Navy Seals on May 2, 2011, in a more hands on, drone-less strike that came after a nearly decade-long hunt for the 9/11 mastermind.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: 202208; abuhajeraliraqui; afghanistan; alexhammer; aliraqui; alqaeda; alzawahiri; alzawahri; anwarsadat; aymanalzawahiri; chrispleasance; cia; daressalaam; egypt; egyptianislamicjihad; eij; elj; emilygoodin; goodriddance; hellfire; iran; iraq; irgc; islamicjihad; kabul; kenya; luxor; nairobi; natashaanderson; ninjamissiles; noriskstrike; pakistan; pos; qudsforce; syria; taliban; tanzania; waronterror; yemen; zawahiri
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To: Morgana

It probably took Joe 6 months to approve the strike. Recall he drug his feet on OBL before Obama finally nutted up and pulled the trigger.


61 posted on 08/02/2022 5:58:58 AM PDT by shotgun
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To: Morgana
We spied on him for six months before taking him out? Some one please tell my why so long?

Yep, afraid of killing his associates and family. Should have taken out the entire house 6 months ago.

62 posted on 08/02/2022 6:00:32 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: EVO X

Hmm.... I had no idea of such range


63 posted on 08/02/2022 6:10:53 AM PDT by bert ( (KWE. NP. N.C. +12) Juneteenth is inequality day)
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To: central_va
Only a fool thinks the Taliban didn’t know of or sanction a drone loitering in their airspace.

That is one possibility the Taliban allowed it. I am more inclined to believe the kill shot came from a one time stealth drone flight.

64 posted on 08/02/2022 6:27:21 AM PDT by EVO X ( )
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To: Morgana

That’ll be the last time the wife makes him step out on the balcony to smoke a cigarette.


65 posted on 08/02/2022 6:34:31 AM PDT by moovova
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To: Morgana

Observe the entire operation until you can roll up almost all the leadership.


66 posted on 08/02/2022 6:35:40 AM PDT by Jumper ( )
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To: DannyTN

“Closer to elections?
Distraction from recession and inflation?
Negotiating 10% for the big guy?”

Exactly. This was a trump card BidenCo was holding in their back pocket. Not to be pulled out until needed.


67 posted on 08/02/2022 6:36:19 AM PDT by moovova
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To: Morgana
'No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out,' President Biden said yesterday.

Interesting Biden would say THAT.

68 posted on 08/02/2022 6:44:17 AM PDT by gitmo (If your theology doesn't become your biography, what good is it?)
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To: bert
Hmm.... I had no idea of such range

Fully loaded jet aircrafts like the 787 can fly for 17 hours without refueling.

69 posted on 08/02/2022 7:03:51 AM PDT by EVO X ( )
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; BraveMan; cardinal4; ...
Good riddance. If the intel apparatus worked for the US instead of the DNC factions, this would have happened years ago.

70 posted on 08/02/2022 7:26:18 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: moovova
That’ll be the last time the wife makes him step out on the balcony to smoke a cigarette.

"Got a light?"

71 posted on 08/02/2022 7:27:32 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/08/02/11/60977507-11071327-image-m-24_1659435065675.jpg


72 posted on 08/02/2022 7:37:56 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: SunkenCiv
Good riddance. If the intel apparatus worked for the US instead of the DNC factions, this would have happened years ago.

...

BINGO!

73 posted on 08/02/2022 7:51:21 AM PDT by GOPJ (Every large city run by democrats is a hellhhole.. Don't let democrats 'hellhole' the country.)
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To: Morgana

Likely they have known where he was for 10 years.


74 posted on 08/02/2022 7:51:48 AM PDT by Zathras
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To: volunbeer

We are talking Biden here. The guy who gave up Seal Team 6 as a target.


75 posted on 08/02/2022 7:56:04 AM PDT by mware (RETIRED)
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To: Bratch
Suspicious Cat remains, well, suspicious…

Same here. Remember when Bin Laden was taken out, they had 2 teams going in because of the intelligence bonanza to be obtained from computers, hard-drives, phones, etc. But for this guy - Osama's right-hand? No, we'll just use a drone-launched veg-o-matic and that's all.

No team going in for any intel? Bull.

Sounds more like he wasn't active at all anymore, we knew where he was at all times, and team-Biden wanted the PR value and a change in the narrative. So they offed what was now an easy target, and made a production out of the announcement for that value.

Don't get me wrong - glad this guy's not wasting oxygen any longer. But color me skeptical.

76 posted on 08/02/2022 10:05:23 AM PDT by Be Free (When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.)
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To: Morgana

Well… they took more than 20 years to get this guy. Does anybody else wonder just how the hell it could take the “Intelligence Community” that long to nail this slime ball?


77 posted on 08/05/2022 10:29:10 AM PDT by Pennsyltucky Boy (bitterly clinging to our constitutional rights in PA)
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To: Morgana

Hi.

For many years al-Zawahiri was seen visiting a coffee shop near the Hyatt Regency on Alexandria Desert Rd in Cairo.

Just saying

5.56mm


78 posted on 08/05/2022 10:35:34 AM PDT by M Kehoe (Quid Pro Joe and the Ho got to go.)
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