Ayman al-Zawahiri

Ayman al-Zawahiri أَيْمَنُ ٱلظَّوَاهِرِي
Ayman al-Zawahiri, November 2001
2nd General Emir of al-Qaeda
In office June 16, 2011 – July 31, 2022
Preceded by	Osama bin Laden
Succeeded by	Saif al-Adel
Deputy Emir of al-Qaeda
In office 1988–2011
Preceded by	Position created
Succeeded by	Nasir al-Wuhayshi
Co-founder of al-Qaeda (with Abdullah Azzam and Osama bin Laden)
In office 1988–1989
Preceded by	Position created
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Co-founder of Maktab al-Khidamat
In office 1984–1988
Preceded by	Position created
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Emir of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad
In office 1991–1998
Preceded by	Muhammad abd-al-Salam Faraj
Succeeded by	Merger with al-Qaeda
Personal details
Born	Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri (1951-06-19)June 19, 1951 Maadi, Cairo, Kingdom of Egypt
Died	July 31, 2022(2022-07-31) (aged 71) Kabul, Afghanistan
Cause of death	Drone strike
Nationality	Egyptian
Spouse(s)	Azza Ahmed (m. 1978; died 2001), Umaima Hassan
Children	Show all (7) Fatima Umayma Nabila Khadiga Mohammed Aisha Nawwar
Alma mater	Cairo University
Occupation	Surgeon
Allegiance	Egyptian Islamic Jihad (1980–1998) al-Qaeda (1988–2022)
Years of service	1980–2022
Rank	General Emir of al-Qaeda
Battles/wars	War in Afghanistan War in North-West Pakistan

Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri (June 19, 1951 – July 31, 2022) was an Egyptian militant who served as the second general emir of al-Qaeda from June 2011 until his death in July 2022. He was the leader of the militant Islamist organization al-Qaeda. Ayman al-Zawahiri was member of Islamist organizations which have organised and carried out attacks in North America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. In 2012 he called on fellow Muslims to kidnap western tourists in Muslim countries.

Since the September 11 attacks until his death, U.S. State Department offered a US$25 million reward for information leading to al-Zawahiri's arrest. He was under worldwide sanctions by the United Nations Security Council 1267 Committee as a member or affiliate of al-Qaeda. In 1998 Ayman made a religious ruling alongside 3 other scholars encouraging jihad against the US and its allies. Ayman also asked to attack american and ally millitary base.

Early life

Al-Zawahiri studied medicine in Cairo. He successfully completed his studies in 1974. He worked as a surgeon for three years in the Egyptian army. After that, he worked in a hospital in Cairo. In 1980 and 1981, al-Zawahiri travelled to Pakistan to help the Red Crescent movement. In 1986, he met Osama bin Laden and he became closely associated with him. In 1988, bin Laden would go on to establish the al-Qaeda organization network and al-Zawahiri served as his second-in-command. Both men were based in Afghanistan at this time and al-Zawahiri held a significant sway over the organization's operations abroad.

Al-Zawahiri is the author of several works, including numerous al-Qaeda statements. He spoke Arabic, English, and French.

Death

Al-Zawahiri was killed on July 31, 2022 shortly after 6:00 AM local time (9:00 PM Eastern Time), in an early-morning drone strike by the Central Intelligence Agency. Since this was a specialized attack, there were no other casualties except al-Zawahiri. Zawahiri was living in a friend's house in Kabul, Afghanistan, which was where the drone struck. He was 71 years old.