Key events
Lyse Doucet, of the BBC, is posting images from Kabul of what could be the apartment where al-Zawahiri was hit:
She says workers nearby thought the building was empty:
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese says he hopes the loved ones of al-Qaida’s victims find some “small solace” in the death of Zawahiri.
Speaking to parliament on Tuesday, Albanese said:
So many lives have been lost and so much blood has been spilled since, including all those Australians who served, sacrificed and gave their lives in Afghanistan. For two decades, this man fled the consequences of his crimes. Our thoughts today are with the loved ones of all of his victims.
He added:
May they find some small solace in the knowledge that he cannot cause more grief through his acts of terror and let terrorists see that Afghanistan will never, ever be a safe haven for their hatred, their terrorism and their attacks on our humanity.
This photo from the weekend, taken in Kabul on the day of the attack, may show the smoke from the drone strike that hit Zawahiri as he stood on a balcony.
A young doctor in a Cairo slum to the public face of al-Qaida – the life of Zawahiri.
If you’re waking up to the news and need a backgrounder on Zawahiri, we have published one here:
Our correspondent Jason Burke, who has penned books both on al-Qaida and Afghanistan, has written an article on how the killing will cause the militant organisation some short-term turbulence but is unlikely to cause it any major long-term problems.
US kills al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in drone strike
Oliver Holmes
A US drone strike in Afghanistan has killed the top al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, Joe Biden announced late on Monday.
The US president described the death of Zawahiri, one of the world’s most wanted men who was Osama bin Laden’s deputy and successor, as a major blow to the terrorist network behind the September 11 2001 attacks.
“Justice has been delivered and this terrorist leader is no more,” Biden said in a live televised address from the White House. “People around the world no longer need to fear the vicious and determined killer.”
Zawahiri and his family had moved into a safe house in downtown Kabul, the capital, according to White House officials. He was spotted on a balcony on numerous occasions over several months and continued to produce al-Qaida propaganda videos, some of which may yet appear posthumously.
Good morning live blog readers. Oliver Holmes here, updating you on the fallout after the announcement.
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