WASHINGTON — The United States conducted a drone strike over the weekend that killed the top Al Qaeda leader, according to a former U.S. official and others briefed on the events.
Ayman al-Zawahri, who took over the leadership of the group after the death of Osama bin laden, was killed in the strike, the first attack in Afghanistan since American forces left last year and a significant victory for the Biden administration’s counterterrorism efforts.
U.S. officials said the strike was not conducted by the military, suggesting that the operation was carried out by the C.I.A. Agency officials declined to comment.
A senior administration official said that the operation was successful and that there were no civilian casualties. The White House was expected to brief reporters later Monday night, a second administration official said.
