Western intelligence agencies are closing in on al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, a British newspaper reported.
Peace talks with the Taliban could lead to a handover of the 67-year-old, who is believed to be hiding along the Afghan-Pakistan border, the Daily Mirror reported.
“As one of the architects of 9/11, his targeting would be a huge plus for an American president like Trump,” َa former British intelligence officer was quoted as saying.
“Zawahiri is very exposed because of recent events, especially if he is on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan, an area likely controlled by the Taliban.
“Local groups will not want to be embarrassed by Zawahiri’s presence.
“This would be a welcome political score for Trump.”
Zawahiri last surfaced in a 2014 video in which he called for an al-Qaeda resurgence in India.
Al Qaeda was set up by Arab guerrillas who flocked to Afghanistan to fight Soviet occupation forces in the 1980s. It thrived under the Taliban’s 1996-2001 rule in Afghanistan before the US invasion that followed Al Qaeda’s Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington drove both groups underground.
