[ti:US Officials Describe Operation Against al-Qaida’s Leader] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]American officials announced Monday [00:03.50]that U.S. forces had carried out a weekend airstrike in Afghanistan [00:10.29]that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. [00:16.40]U.S. officials say al-Zawahiri helped al-Qaida's top leader Osama bin Laden [00:24.34]plan the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. [00:30.45]After the attacks, he is believed to have continued to lead al-Qaida. [00:38.12]Al-Zawahiri avoided capture by U.S. forces for 21 years. [00:44.85]Officials in the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden [00:50.67]recently provided details about the killing [00:55.07]to reporters from the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters. [01:00.14]The officials spoke about the operation on the condition that they not be named. [01:08.68]One official said the operation to find and kill al-Zawahiri [01:14.81]had been the result of "careful" and "persistent" planning. [01:20.12]Before the announcement of his killing, [01:23.48]al-Zawahiri was believed to have been living either in Pakistan's tribal area or inside Afghanistan. [01:34.44]Since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan about one year ago, [01:39.96]officials had been watching for signs of al-Qaida's presence in the country, the officials said. [01:49.12]This year, officials identified that al-Zawahiri's family – his wife, his daughter and her children – [01:58.51]had moved into a safe house in Kabul. [02:02.35]They later identified al-Zawahiri at the same house. [02:09.00]Several different methods were used to confirm al-Zawahiri's identity. [02:15.44]He was often seen on the balcony of the safe house, officials said. [02:22.29]This is where he was targeted in the airstrike. [02:27.80]The attack was carried out by an unmanned aircraft, called a drone. [02:34.14]Officials said they had fully investigated the building [02:39.40]and identified other people who were living there. [02:43.50]Investigators wanted to make sure the U.S. could successfully carry out an operation [02:51.69]to kill al-Zawahiri without threatening the building's overall structure. [02:58.10]They also sought to reduce the risk to civilians and al-Zawahiri's family, officials said. [03:08.84]In recent weeks, President Biden held meetings with close advisors and cabinet members [03:16.87]to examine the available intelligence and come up with the best plan of action. [03:24.34]On July 1, Biden was told about a proposed operation in the White House Situation Room. [03:33.78]The meeting was attended by top intelligence officials including CIA Director William Burns. [03:44.12]Biden "asked detailed questions about what we knew and how we knew it," one official told Reuters. [03:53.73]The U.S. president also closely examined a model of the safe house [04:00.23]in the intelligence community had built and brought to the meeting. [04:05.65]Biden asked about lighting, weather, building materials and other elements [04:12.95]that could affect the success of the operation, the official said. [04:18.73]He also requested a report on the expected ramifications of carrying out an airstrike in Kabul. [04:29.72]A group of government lawyers examined the intelligence reporting. [04:35.50]They confirmed that al-Zawahiri was a lawful target based on his continuing leadership of al-Qaida. [04:46.68]On July 25, the president gathered his cabinet members and advisors for a final meeting. [04:55.69]Officials discussed how killing al-Zawahiri [04:59.76]would affect America's relationship with the Taliban, [05:04.76]among other issues, the official told Reuters. [05:09.16]After listening to the advice from others in the room, [05:13.90]Biden approved "a precise tailored air strike." [05:18.86]But the approval was given on the condition [05:22.68]that the attack would take measures to reduce the risk of civilian casualties. [05:29.68]The strike was carried out at 0148 UTC on July 30. [05:36.93]Officials said a drone fired two so-called "hellfire" missiles [05:43.90]at al-Zawahiri while he was on the balcony of the safe house. [05:49.30]The house where al-Zawahiri was living with his family [05:53.77]was owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, [06:01.13]a U.S. intelligence official told the AP. [06:05.58]Experts say they are concerned that the Taliban government [06:11.00]may be permitting armed extremist organizations to stay in Afghanistan [06:17.88]because no U.S. forces remain in the country. [06:22.41]I'm Bryan Lynn. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM