The importance of Ayman al-Zawahiris assassination | In Focus podcast
The targeted killing of al-Qaeda chief, Ayman al-Zawahiri, by an American missile in Kabul on July 31 has raised many questions about the possible impact of this assassination. It comes nearly 11 years after the U.S. took out al-Zawahiri\u2019s boss, Osama bin Laden, in a ground operation in Abbottabad, Pakistan.\nA point of interest in both killings is that bin Laden and al-Zawahiri were hiding in plain sight in cities \u2013 one Pakistani and the other Afghan.\nWill this lead to a weakened al-Qaeda, unable to engage in terrorist actions abroad? Will the killing give a boost to al-Qaeda offshoots like the Islamic State? Was the Taliban\xa0giving shelter to al-Zawahiri in Kabul or did they tip the Americans off about his presence? Will the Taliban now get further isolated?\nGuest: R. Kumar, who retired as Special Secretary from India\u2019s external intelligence agency, the Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW), and spent long years working on counter-terrorism and Pakistan-related issues.\nHost: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu.\nEdited by Ranjani Srinivasan