Elissa Slotkin chairs a “field hearing” of the US House Intelligence & Counterterrorism Subcommittee, held at Michigan State University. From her Twitter feed.
Hitting back, after all these years
by Elissa Slotkin
The news of the successful hit on Ayman al-Zawahiri stopped me in my tracks. He was one of the masterminds of 9/11, the attacks on the USS Cole & our embassies in Kenya & Tanzania, and supported al Qaeda as they targeted many others across the globe. But tonight, he is gone.
As a former CIA Middle East analyst & Pentagon official, I’ve known many people — Americans, Iraqis, and so many others from our coalition — who have been killed our wounded by al Qaeda under his direction. So many local people dragged through the streets.
ISIS, and many other groups inspired by al Qaeda, can draw a direct lineage from Zawahiri. And as someone who joined the CIA because I happened to be in New York on 9/11, I also know how many years of hard work it has taken to bring him to bring him this end.
For decades, he was second only to UBL in leading al Qaeda. Tonight’s news is a testament to the tireless work of our intelligence community and military, who have been looking him for so long.
Targeting one senior leader does not end the capacity of an organization to attack, but it does send a message that, while it may take years, we do not forget those who attack us. I commend the President for making the tough call & the national security team for this success.
Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat, is the Congresswoman for Michigan’s 8th Congressional District.
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