The US drone strike that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri on his balcony in Kabul on Sunday was the product of months of secret planning by President Biden and a select circle of his senior advisers, CNN reports.
They would have built a scale model of Zawahiri’s safe house to help the president examine the possibilities and plan the attack.
Avoiding civilian deaths, including members of Zawahiri’s family who lived in the building, was the top priority for Biden and his team members.
Independent, government-wide analysis was conducted in identifying the other occupants of the home, according to CNN.
Details of the strike and its planning were leaked by a senior administration official as Biden prepared to announce the mission on Monday.
