In 2006, Ayman Al Zawahiri, often described as the brains behind Al Qaeda, released one of his many video addresses, this one titled "A Message to the People of Pakistan". In it he calls on them to fight their government, labels the leaders of a number of Arab countries traitors, including in his native Egypt, and says that his group has "broken the back" of America in Iraq. It represents both the aspirations of Al Zawahiri and the threat of Al Qaeda in that era, arguably the most notorious global terror group ever to have existed.
During his time in the organisation, thousands were killed by its operatives, in places as diverse as New York, Aden, Nairobi, Baghdad, Madrid and Riyadh, to name only a few. While its declared intention was to wreak havoc in the non-Islamic world, Muslim and Arab countries were major victims of Al Qaeda's terror.
And the group was indeed an elusive thorn in the side of the US military for many years. That finally changed in 2011, when American special forces killed its leader, Osama bin Laden. More than a decade on, Al Zawahiri has now met the same fate – although this time from the sky – following a US missile strike on a location in which he was staying in Afghanistan.
There is a great deal of interest among military analysts as to how this “justice was delivered”. There is much speculation that it came from Washington’s "flying Ginsu" R9X variant of the Hellfire missile. The projectile is designed to kill individuals, not groups, therefore supposedly protecting innocent bystanders. US officials have insisted that no one else was killed in the strike.
While this is welcome, it is important to remember that we are not yet in the era, if we ever will be, of drone strikes that guarantee the safety of civilians. The last known US strike in Afghanistan killed 10. And in the wider, decades-long and complicated fight against Al Qaeda, many innocent people have died.
The timing of the deaths of Al Qaeda's two most senior operatives is strangely precise. Ten years after 9/11, the group's most consequential attack, the US killed Bin Laden. Now, more than 10 years after that, his group's second-most important leader is dead.
However, what happened in between these milestones is anything but ordered. US warfare against terrorists has changed, favouring distant strikes over longer-term attempts to provide economic or social development to regions where terrorists thrive, and deal with the grievances that have led to many people falling under their sway. Afghanistan, where Al Zawahiri was killed, is in the control of the Taliban, a group that has a history of sheltering Al Qaeda and working closely with it. This follows the US's disastrous withdrawal from the country almost a year ago. Crucially, new groups have emerged, which are now far better known than Al Qaeda.
Finally, even the justice that Mr Biden speaks of is lacking. From the Guantanamo Bay detention camp to secretive drone strikes, the way US-led payback has come is anything but transparent. True justice would have seen Al Zawahiri in court.
Despite his far lower profile in recent years, the world is safer without him. But, in part due to conditions created by the war on terror, he will by no means be that last terrorist to threaten the world. The long road towards his killing is full of lessons that should be learnt.
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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TV (UAE time);
OSN Sports: from 10am
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Scores
Bournemouth 0-4 Liverpool
Arsenal 1-0 Huddersfield Town
Burnley 1-0 Brighton
Manchester United 4-1 Fulham
West Ham 3-2 Crystal Palace
Saturday fixtures:
Chelsea v Manchester City, 9.30pm (UAE)
Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur, 11.45pm (UAE)
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
