Ayman al-Zawahri: Where his death leaves al-Qaida and what it says about US counter-terrorism

Daniel Milton, a terrorism expert at the US Military Academy at West Point, and Haroro J Ingram and Andrew Mines, research fellows at George Washington University's programme on extremism, explain the significance of the strike on al-Zawahri and what it says about US counter-terrorism in Afghanistan under the Taliban.

Ayman al-Zawahri in 2006: The top al-Qaida leader was killed by the US at the weekend in Afghanistan. Picture: AP Photo/B.K.Bangash, File

Who was Ayman al-Zawahri?

Ayman al-Zawahri was an Egyptian-born jihadist, who became al-Qaida's top leader in 2011 after his predecessor, Osama bin Laden, was killed by a US operation. Al-Zawahri's ascent followed years in which al-Qaida's leadership had been devastated by US drone strikes in Pakistan. Even Bin Laden had been struggling to exert control and unity across al-Qaida's global network of affiliates.