No, that’s not a typo. Ayman al-Zawahiri was the leader of al-Qaeda, not ISIS But you’d be forgiven for wondering why killing him is even worthy of mention, let alone this episode. After all, every time there’s breaking news these days of a terrorist attack anywhere, it’s invariably the terrorizing deed not of al-Qaeda, but of its demon spawn, ISIS.
What’s more, former President Trump effectively declared America’s war on terror over years ago after he killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. I duly rebutted and mocked his boast in “ISIS Caliph al-Baghdadi Is Dead. Beware the Next Matryoshka Terrorist Leader…,” October 27, 2019.
But I hope you’ll forgive this admittedly perverse analogy. Because, just as there’s no denying the indelible impression a first major crush leaves, there’s no denying that which a first major terrorist attack does. Zawahiri figured prominently in the latter on 9/11; and he haunted America’s consciousness ever since …