Al Qaeda Leader Ayman Al Zawahiri Killed, Experts And Authorities Warn Of Potential Terrorist Attacks In Revenge

Osama bin Laden (left) with Ayman al Zawahiri. (Wikimedia Commons/Hamid Mir)

JAKARTA - Former UN terrorism expert Jacob Schindler, director of the Counter Extremism Project, issued a warning to countries to remain vigilant, anticipating terrorist revenge attacks after the death of Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri.

His death in a drone strike in Kabul over the weekend has raised fears that the attack could come in retaliation.

"Zawahiri's death is a significant counter-terrorism success, but it should not be an excuse for anyone to let their guard down," Schindler said.

Zawahiri was killed in Kabul, which is completely under Taliban control, in a house belonging to the acting interior minister. This shows how close ties between the Taliban and Al Qaeda remain, even though the Taliban guarantees otherwise.

“Therefore, the next leader of Al Qaeda is in a good position to set up a base of operations there. It is absolutely impossible that we will see terrorists training in Afghanistan and working towards a spectacular and large-scale terrorist attack," he said.

On Tuesday, the US State Department warned Americans traveling abroad of potential violence after US troops killed the Al Qaeda leader.

They urged US citizens to "maintain a high level of vigilance and practice good situational awareness when traveling abroad".

"Current information indicates that terrorist organizations continue to plan attacks against US interests in various regions around the world," the department said.

"These attacks can use a variety of tactics, including suicide operations, assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings and bombings," the ministry said.

In the Worldwide Caution Update, the department said it believed "there is a higher potential for anti-American violence in light of Zawahiri's death".

Al Zawahiri took over Al Qaeda after Osama bin Laden, the founder of the terrorist organization, was killed by American forces in Pakistan in 2011. President Joe Biden described him as an instrumental player in planning the September 11, 2001 attacks.

He is also credited with being behind several attacks on Americans, including the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and the US Navy destroyer USS Kol in 2000.

Daniel Hoffman, a former senior CIA covert operations officer, said the presence of Al Zawahiri and other Al Qaeda militants in Afghanistan should 'sound alarm bells'.

"Afghanistan is a clear and present danger. And it has never been more dangerous for the United States, I'm sorry to say, than it is now," he explained.

Prior to last year's withdrawal, US military leaders said groups like Al Qaeda could pose a threat from Afghanistan to the US and American allies by 2023.

A UN report last year said as many as 500 al Qaeda fighters were in Afghanistan and that the Taliban maintained close ties to the extremists.