President Joe Biden said a U.S. strike in Afghanistan over the weekend killed the leader of al-Qaida, Ayman al-Zawahri, calling him a longtime terrorist commander who helped plan the 9/11 attacks.
"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,” Biden said in remarks Monday evening at the White House.
The U.S. withdrew hastily from Afghanistan a year ago as the victorious Taliban marched on Kabul. Thirteen American military personnel and scores of Afghans were killed in a terrorist bombing as the withdrawal was underway.