US operation kills al Qaeda's top leader, who has led the terror group since bin Laden was killed in 2011

According to news reports, the leader of al- Qaeda has been killed in Afghanistan.

A Biden administration official said in a statement that the US conducted a counterterrorism operation against an al- Qaeda target in Afghanistan.

The target was Ayman al-Zawahiri, according to a source. The FBI has a reward of up to $25 million for information that leads to the apprehension or conviction of Zawahiri.

Zawahiri was Osama bin Laden's second in command. He became the leader of Al Qaeda after the death of Bin Laden. According to national security experts, Zawarhiri was not as effective as a leader.

The Egyptian Islamic Jihad merged with al-Qaeda in 1998.

The news of Zawahiri's death coincides with the Taliban regaining control of the country after the US withdrew its troops.

The war in Afghanistan was declared over by Biden, but he also said the US would continue the fight against terror groups in the country. The president said that the US would continue to target terrorists with drones. Despite Biden's claims to the contrary, critics said this was a sign that the war was not over.

Leon Panetta, who served as both CIA director and defense secretary during the Obama administration, said in an interview that the war is not over because the Taliban will provide a safe haven for terrorists.

Human rights groups are concerned that Biden's strategy of going after terror groups without boots on the ground may lead to more civilian deaths.

If the US doesn't have an actual presence in Afghanistan, it's hard to see how the Biden administration's 'over-the-horizon' approach will result in more civilian casualties.

The president will speak about the operation in a White House speech. There is an hour and a half later.

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