How US spy find, kill al-Qaeda leader wey succeed Bin Laden for Kabul

Wen US comot Afghanistan last year, President Joe Biden say im goment no go allow di new Taliban-led regime to make di kontri safe place for terrorists.

Dis tok mean say as far as President Biden White House dey concerned di decades-old war on terror dey far from over.

Almost one year later, di president top security advisers meet wit am.

And dem hint am say intelligence officials fit don locate di leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, for Afghanistan.

How dem identify di high-value target

For background briefings, senior administration figures tell reporters say dem believe Zawahiri bin don return to Afghanistan in di past year.

Dem say na afta di collapse of di Western-backed goment.

One adviser to Oga Biden tok say US spies bin don carefully watch Afghanistan since di US withdraw for di kontri.

Di move na to check for signs and see if al-Qaeda leaders bin dey slowly enta di kontri back.

Dem say Zawahiri bin settle for one large compound wit high, protective walls, for downtown Kabul wit im wife and daughter.

Di neighbourhood wey Zawahiri choose, na one relatively well-to-do area dem call Choorpur.

Dat na di home to foreign embassies and diplomats under di previous administration.

But now, most of di Taliban senior officials dey live for di plush surroundings.

For early April, CIA officers first brief Oga Biden advisers, and then di president imself.

CIA inform Joe Biden say dem don identify one network wey dey support di al-Qaeda leader and im family through multiple streams of intelligence.

Dis na according to wetin dem tok for di briefings.

Di spies bin slowly establish di patterns of behaviour from di pipo wey dey live for di house.

E include di unique mannerisms of one woman wey spies identify as Zawahiri wife.

Officials say dem recognise her use of terrorist "tradecraft", wey she dey use in an attempt to avoid leading anybody to her husband safehouse for Kabul.

Dem observe say afta dem arrive di house, Zawahiri no comot from di premises.

But dem note say sometimes im dey come di balcony to look di wall of di property for a shot period of time then go back inside di house?

How dem plan di historic raid

For Oga Biden, di opportunity to kill one of America most wanted men go come wit risk.

Zawahiri bin dey live for neighborhood wey many pipo dey live and di drone strike wey accidentally kill 10 innocent pipo for Kabul, including one aid worker and seven children during di final days of di US presence for Afghanistan, fit don play for Biden mind.

Throughout May and June, di US leader focus on di war for Ukraine and push through landmark legislation on gun control and climate change.

But secretly one "very small and select" group of top intelligence officers begin prepare plenty options to present to am.

Oga Biden bin task intelligence officers to make sure say dem no accidentally kill civilians - including Zawahiri family and Taliban officials – for di attack.

For July 1, Oga Biden gather several top officials, plus CIA Director William Burns and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, for one briefing. 

For di briefing, im and im advisers gather around one scale model of Zawahiri home wey intelligence officials don construct and bring to di White House.

Oga Biden ask for information about di structure of di building and how one strike fit affect am, before im fly to Camp David for one weekend break.

Over di next few weeks, officials meet for di White House situation room - one bunker-like command centre belowdi White House set up to allow di president to monitor crises at home and abroad.

Dem methodically plan di operation, try to anticipate any questions wey di president fit ask.

Meanwhile, one small team of lawyers come together to assess di legality of a strike, dem conclude say Zawahiri na di legitimate target based on "im continuing leadership role for al-Qaeda and im participation and operational support for al-Qaeda attacks".

On 25 July, after convening one team one final time and asking im top advisers for dia views, Oga Biden authorise di strike.

Taliban leaders scramble as US strikes

At 06:18 local time (01:38 GMT), two hellfire missiles wey one drone fire smash in to di balcony of Zawahiri house, kill di al-Qaeda leader.

Intelligence leader say members of im family dey unharmed.

For di aftermath of di raid, e appear say di windows of di house blow out but to dia surprise na little damage happun to am.

Suggestions be say na little-known version of di Hellfire missile dem use, one wey no get explosive warhead.

Dis version – dem call di AGM-114R9X - deploy six blades wey swing out from di side of di missile as e approach di target.

Na di kinetic energy from dis multi-bladed weapon speed cause di destruction, as dem slice through anything dem hit and minimise collateral damage.

Thousands of miles away for Washington, dem inform di president of di success of di strike.

On Sunday, di Taliban ministry of di interior tell di local Tolo news outlet say one rocket strike don hit one empty house, and e no cause any casualties. Dem no gree provide additional details at di time.

But di Biden administration say soon after, fighters from di Haqqani network, one ultra-violent wing of di Taliban, rush Zawahiri family away from di site and engage for one broader effort to cover-up im presence.

Wen one BBC reporter land for di house on Monday morning one Taliban cordon sharply carry am away, aim rifles at am and insist say "nothing dey dia to see".

US officials say "multiple streams of intelligence" don confam Zawahiri death, but emphasise say no American personnel dey on di ground for Kabul.

Dem refuse to elaborate as to how dem confam di success of di attack.

Intelligence agencies jealously guard di identities of dia spies, and James Clapper, one former director of national intelligence under President Obama, tell di BBC say former US allies for Kabul fit don provide some informate.

E no dey clear wetin happun to Zawahiri body in di wake of di strike. Biden administration figures say di US no make any effort to retrieve Zawahiri remains, as dem do in di wake of di raid wey kill Osama Bin Laden.

Special forces retrieve Bin Laden body to confam im identity, before bury am at sea to prevent im grave becoming a shrine to Islamists.

However, as di Taliban don clean di area, e dey possible say dem don comot im body.

As Oga Biden television address from one balcony of di White House beam around di world, Taliban leaders issue one sharp condemnation of di US invasion into dia territory. But dia comments no mention Zawahiri.

Different kain tok-tok for don dey go upandan about how much knowledge senior Taliban leaders get about Zawahiri presence for Kabul and which assistance dem fit don dey provide.

One resident tell di BBC say Taliban fighters don dey guard di street and say di presence of "non-Afghan residents" na common knowledge among locals.

Di suggestion fit begin raise tricky questions for Taliban leaders.