No trace of explosion, no other injuries: this is the weapon that killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda
Sylvie Claire / August 3, 2022
Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed when two missiles struck his home in Kabul. But there were no signs of an explosion in the building and no one was injured in the operation, according to U.S. officials. Both suggest that the Americans used the Hellfire R9X, a missile equipped with six razor-sharp blades that slices through its target but does not explode. The use of the R9X has never been officially acknowledged by the Pentagon or the CIA, the two U.S. entities responsible for targeted assassinations of extremist leaders.
Its existence was first mentioned in March 2017, when a senior al-Qaeda leader, Abu al-Khayr al-Masri, was killed by a drone strike while traveling in a car in Syria. Photos at the time showed a large hole through the roof of the car. The interior of the vehicle, including its occupants, had been torn apart. But the front and back of the car appeared completely intact.
Since then, a handful of targeted attacks have achieved a similar result, whereas until then, Hellfire missiles - fired from helicopters or drones and intended to destroy tanks - were known for their powerful explosions and often the collateral damage they caused.
The mysterious new weapon used by the Americans has been dubbed the Flying Ginsu, after a famous 1980s television commercial for Ginsu brand kitchen knives, which could cut cleanly through aluminum cans and remain perfectly sharp. Also dubbed the Ninja Bomb, the missile became the ammunition of choice for killing leaders of jihadist groups, while avoiding civilian casualties.
That is apparently what happened in Kabul with Zawahiri. On Sunday morning, July 31, Zawahiri was standing alone on the balcony of his home when a U.S. drone fired two Hellfire missiles, a U.S. official told reporters. Family members of the al-Qaida leader were present in the house, but were not deliberately targeted and were not injured, the official added.
Photos show blown-out windows on one floor, but the rest of the building, including windows on other floors, is still in place.
The death of Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of the world's most wanted terrorists for whom the U.S. was pledging $25 million for information leading to his recovery, was announced on live television Monday by U.S. President Joe Biden.