“On Saturday, the United States in Kabul, Afghanistan, successfully struck and killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri,” Biden said.

He said that al-Zawahiri was involved in the planning of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York.

Earlier, a senior US administration official said that the United States carried out a successful counter-terrorist operation over the weekend against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

* "Al-Qaeda" - the organization was recognized as a terrorist organization by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of February 14, 2003.