The CIA reveals the secrets of Ayman al-Zawahiri's hideout on the Internet

The Times reported that a model of the "safe" house in the Afghan capital of Kabul - in which the late al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed - has been declassified and displayed in the CIA Museum.

The British newspaper quoted the "CIA" as saying that the model of the 4-storey building with balconies - where Al-Zawahiri, 71, was identified - was used by military planners to determine how to kill the al-Qaeda leader without the building collapsing on other residents.

And she indicated in her

that although pictures of the model of the house were published, it was not on display to the public because the agency's museum at its headquarters in Langley, Virginia, is open only to employees and their guests.

However, some of the exhibits can be viewed online.

Successful and Failed Operations

The museum was renovated to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the CIA by former President Harry Truman, and includes memorabilia from successful agency missions, as well as some failed missions such as the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba.

Janelle Nezes, deputy director of the museum, said the model of Zawahiri's house on display was used to brief President Joe Biden on the mission.

It is noteworthy that Al-Zawahiri was assassinated on the balcony of the house in the Afghan capital on the morning of July 31, 2022, with a missile without an explosive device that destroys its target with rotating blades, launched by an American march.

The agency claimed that Biden agreed to the raid after making sure that the risk of civilian casualties was minimal.

Cold War and the invasion of Iraq

The museum contains exhibits covering the Cold War and the post-9/11 era, such as hidden cameras and objects used to conceal messages exchanged with foreign sources, including a crushed Russian milk carton and a gutted mouse.

Another part of the exhibition covers the CIA's wrong assessment of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, which supported the US and Britain's 2003 invasion of Iraq. "You can learn a lot from past successes and failures," said Nezis.