Top al-Qaeda terrorist al-Zawahiri killed when he was on the balcony of a safe house in Kabul

New Delhi: al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has been confirmed dead by US President Joe Biden on Tuesday in a drone strike in Afghanistan. 

He was killed in a counter-terrorism operation carried out by the CIA in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Sunday when he was on the balcony of a safe house when the drone fired two missiles at him.

Other family members were present, but they were unharmed and only Zawahiri was killed

Biden said he had given the final approval for the "precision strike" on the 71-year-old al-Qaeda leader after months of planning.

Zawahiri took over al-Qaeda after the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011. He and Bin Laden plotted the 9/11 attacks together and he was one of the US's "most wanted terrorists".

"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," said Biden.

Biden said Zawahiri had also masterminded other acts of violence, including the suicide bombing of the USS Cole naval destroyer in Aden in October 2000 which killed 17 US sailors.

Reacting on the strike, a Taliban spokesman said it is a clear violation of international principles.

"Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan and the region," the spokesman said.