Did Taliban Snitch? Al Qaeda Boss Ayman Al Zawahiri Killed In American Drone Strike In Kabul

 Al-Qaeda Leader & Co-Founder Ayman al-Zawahiri Killed In U.S. Drone Strike

 

                               Ayman Zawahiri (right) with Osama bin Laden (left)


(New York, N.Y.) — President Joe Biden tonight confirmed the death of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri yesterday in a U.S. drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Zawahiri co-founded al-Qaeda with Osama bin Laden in 1988. He had led the group since bin Laden’s death in 2011 and expanded the number of al-Qaeda affiliates around the world. The FBI’s Rewards for Justice program offered a $25 million reward for information leading to Zawahiri’s capture.

OSTB : If you ask me I think the Taliban collected that US$25 million reward. Or someone in Taliban Afghanistan did.  During Osama's time he had plenty of cash from Saudi Arabia and UAE to pay off the Taliban (and the Pakistanis). Money was not a problem. But today the Taliban is really short of cash. No one wants to deal much with Afghanistan anymore. Not even Pakistan - the traditional terror bosses. US$25 million is a lot of money. Someone in the Taliban / Afghanistan collected the reward. There is no honor among the so called jihadists.   

Under Zawahiri’s stewardship, al-Qaeda became increasingly decentralized, with authority resting primarily in the hands of al-Qaeda’s affiliate leaders. 

Zawahiri brokered mergers with a number of Islamist groups including al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (previously the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat or GSPC) and al-Shabaab. 

Zawahiri also sanctioned the creation of a number of al-Qaeda affiliates, including al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and al-Qaeda’s former Syria affiliate, the al-Nusra Front. In September 2014, Zawahiri announced the creation of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

OSTB : So Zawahiri created a multi-headed snake. And now the multi headed snake has no leader.  There will be power struggles among the terrorists to see who becomes leader. There will be in fighting, more bombs will explode. Then they will also start planning their own terror campaigns. There will be more bombs throughout the Islamic world (because that is where these guys usually operate).

Leadership also means money, funding from nutjob funders, tabung Tin Milo collections, extortion money, money from kidnapping more young girls in Nigeria (Boko Haram style), maybe the Abu Sayyaf will also start kidnapping again for money, they can rent out their fighters to other terror groups for money.  No money no religion. No money no jihad.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.