NEWS
Breaking News: US confirms successful drone strike on Al-Qaeda leader, Al-Zawahiri
Yemie ADEOYE
Texas-THE United States has officially announced the killing of al Qaeda leader and former Osama Bin-Laden deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike, outside Kabul, Afghanistan according to President Joe Biden.
Zawahiri, who just turned 71 years old, had remained a visible international symbol of the group, 11 years after the US killed Osama Bin Laden. At one point, he acted as bin Laden’s personal physician.
President Biden stated in a speech outside the Whitehouse that the United States has intensely searched for Al-Zawahiri under Presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump.
The US intelligence community located Al-Zawahiri earlier this year as he moved to downtown Kabul to reunite with members of his immediate family.
“After carefully considering clear and convincing evidence of his location, I authorize the precision strike that will remove him from the battlefield once and for all.
This mission was carefully planned, rigorously to minimize the harm to other civilians, and one week ago, after being advised that the conditions were optimal, I gave the final approval to go get him. The mission was a success. none of his family members were hurt, and there were no civilian casualties” Mr. Biden enthused.
Biden, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday as he deals with a rebound case of the virus, spoke outdoors from the Blue Room Balcony at the White House in a speech monitored by our reporter a few minutes ago.
Meanwhile, In a series of tweets, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said, “An air strike was carried out on a residential house in Sherpur area of Kabul city on July 31.”
He said, “The nature of the incident was not apparent at first” but the security and intelligence services of the Islamic Emirate investigated the incident, and “initial findings determined that the strike was carried out by an American drone.”
Read Also >> Another Trouble Looms For APC As Group Moves Against Shettima Over Double Nominations
Mujahid said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan “strongly condemns this attack on any pretext and calls it a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement.”
Zawahiri comes from a distinguished Egyptian family, according to the New York Times. His grandfather, Rabia’a al-Zawahiri, was an imam at al-Azhar University in Cairo. His great-uncle, Abdel Rahman Azzam, was the first secretary of the Arab League.
He eventually helped to mastermind the deadliest terror attack on American soil, when hijackers turned US airliners into missiles.
“Those 19 brothers who went out and gave their souls to Allah almighty, God almighty has granted them this victory we are enjoying now,” al-Zawahiri said in a videotaped message released in April 2002.
It was the first of many taunting messages the terrorist — who became al Qaeda’s leader after US forces killed bin Laden in 2011 — would send out over the years, urging militants to continue the fight against America and chiding US leaders.
Zawahiri was constantly on the move once the US-led invasion of Afghanistan began after the September 11, 2001, attacks. At one point, he narrowly escaped a US onslaught in the rugged, mountainous Tora Bora region of Afghanistan, an attack that left his wife and children dead.
He made his public debut as a Muslim militant when he was in prison for his involvement in the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.
“We want to speak to the whole world. Who are we? Who are we?” he said in a jailhouse interview.
By that time, al-Zawahiri, a young doctor, was already a committed terrorist who conspired to overthrow the Egyptian government for years and sought to replace it with fundamentalist Islamic rule. He proudly endorsed Sadat’s assassination after the Egyptian leader made peace with Israel.
He spent three years in prison after Sadat’s assassination and claimed he was tortured while in detention. After his release, he made his way to Pakistan, where he treated wounded mujahadeen fighters who fought against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
That was when he met bin Laden and found a common cause.
“We are working with brother bin Laden,” he said in announcing the merger of his terror group, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, with al Qaeda in May 1998. “We know him for more than 10 years now. We fought with him here in Afghanistan.”
Together, the two terror leaders signed a fatwa, or declaration: “The judgment to kill and fight Americans and their allies, whether civilians or military, is an obligation for every Muslim.”
The attacks against the United States and its facilities began weeks later, with the suicide bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed more than 200 people and wounded more than 5,000 others. Zawahiri and bin Laden gloated after they escaped a US cruise missile attack in Afghanistan that had been launched in retaliation.
Then, there was the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen in October 2000, when suicide bombers on a dinghy detonated their boat, killing 17 American sailors and wounding 39 others.
The culmination of Zawahiri’s terror plotting came on September 11, 2001, when nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center and Pentagon. A fourth hijacked airliner, headed for Washington, crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers fought back.
Since then, al-Zawahiri raised his public profile, appearing on numerous videos and audiotapes to urge Muslims to join the jihad against the United States and its allies. Some of his tapes were followed closely by terrorist attacks.
In May 2003, for instance, almost simultaneous suicide bombings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killed 23 people, including nine Americans, days after a tape thought to contain Zawahiri’s voice was released.
The US State Department had offered a reward of up to $25 million for information leading directly to his capture. A June 2021 United Nations report suggested he was located somewhere in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and that he may have been too frail to be featured in propaganda.
President Biden further stated that all US allies around the world have been duly informed of the development, as well as the US Congres. According to him the United States will continue to carry out its counter-terrorism mission around the world, and especially in Afghanistan, in spite of its evacuation of all American boots on the ground on Afghan soil.
The Sahara Group Foundation (SGF) has expanded its waste management network and recycling infrastructure in Northern Nigeria with the commissioning of two Sahara Go Recycling hubs in Jigawa and Kaduna States.
This was detailed in a statement from the Foundation on Sunday, which had it that the hubs, located at Gidan Hakimi in Shuwarin Local Government Area of Jigawa State and Asharami Retail Station, Badiko, Kaduna South Local Government Area of Kaduna State, are the Foundation’s 21st and 22nd recycling hubs nationwide and its second and third in Northern Nigeria.
According to a statement, the Jigawa hub was delivered with the support of the King’s Council, Shuwarin, while the Kaduna hub was established in collaboration with Asharami Synergy.
The Foundation said the initiative is designed to convert waste into income-generating opportunities for households. The Director of Sahara Group Foundation, Chidilim Menakaya, said the hubs demonstrate the organisation’s approach to expanding practical sustainability initiatives through partnerships.
“By partnering with institutions and sister companies that understand local needs and realities, we are building a recycling ecosystem that communities can own, sustain, and benefit from over the long term,” she said.
ALSO READ: NCDMB, Renaissance Build Oil, Gas Capacity for 300 Graduates
The commissioning ceremonies were attended by members of the King’s Council, the Jigawa State Commissioner for Environment, Dr Nura Doka, the Chairman of Shuwarin Local Government Area, Abdulhamid Balago, the vice chairman, community leaders and residents in Jigawa, as well as Asharami Synergy’s leadership and the Filling Station Manager in Kaduna.
Speaking at the Jigawa event, Alhaji Bashir Abdullahi, Sarkin Gabas and Hakimin Shuwarin, said the facility addresses a longstanding waste management challenge in the community.
“For years, our people have had no organised way to deal with waste beyond burning or dumping it by the roadside,” he said. “This hub gives our young people and our women a way to earn from something that used to just pollute our surroundings.”
At the Kaduna event, the Filling Station Manager of Asharami Retail Station, Badiko, Aliyu Abdullahi Mabai, said the recycling hub complements the station’s operations.
“We are glad to host this recycling hub on our premises,” he said. “It gives our customers and neighbours a simple way to recycle, and fits with what Asharami Synergy stands for as a responsible business.”
The Foundation also disclosed plans to commission another recycling hub in Kano State in the coming weeks following a recent engagement with the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, who expressed interest in the initiative.
According to the Foundation, Sahara Go Recycling has supported the recycling of more than 1,000 tonnes of materials since its launch and has directly or indirectly impacted more than 2,000 livelihoods nationwide.
Andy Burnham has officially been sworn in as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, marking the beginning of a new chapter in British politics.
Burnham assumed office on Monday after outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer formally resigned during an audience with the King. Following Starmer’s departure, King Charles III invited Burnham to form a new government, which he accepted.
SEE MORE: UK PM Keir Starmer Resigns
The 56-year-old becomes Britain’s sixth prime minister in the past 10 years, taking office amid mounting economic pressures, political uncertainty and a lingering cost-of-living crisis.
In his farewell speech outside 10 Downing Street, Starmer reflected on his two years in office, insisting his government had left Britain in a stronger position.
“I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago,” Starmer said.
“I go with good grace, I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything that we have achieved,” he added.
Burnham is expected to use his first address as prime minister to outline his vision for restoring public confidence in government while prioritising economic growth, easing the cost-of-living crisis and devolving more powers to regional communities.
Speaking in an interview with The Times before taking office, Burnham signalled a break from recent policies.
“What we’ve been doing hasn’t been working. That’s the way I see it,” he said.
“I am going to try and do things in a different way.”
The new prime minister inherits a series of pressing challenges, including slow economic growth, rising government borrowing costs, a growing welfare bill and continued irregular migration across the English Channel.
He has also pledged a different approach to public spending, promising greater investment in prevention and long-term economic development.
“A different approach to public spending and to running the economy — more focused on early investment, early intervention, setting people up for success and much less paying for failure,” Burnham said.
As one of his first policy decisions, Burnham scrapped the nationwide digital ID scheme introduced under Starmer’s administration, saying the estimated £1.8 billion earmarked for the project would instead be redirected toward helping families cope with the rising cost of living.
A former Greater Manchester mayor, Burnham previously served as a Member of Parliament from 2001 to 2017 and held ministerial roles under former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
He returned to Parliament only weeks ago before emerging as Labour’s new leader following Starmer’s resignation.
Burnham now has less than three years to deliver on his promises before the next general election, expected in 2029, as Labour seeks to fend off growing support for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.
Addressing supporters after securing the Labour leadership, Burnham described the moment as Labour’s “last chance” to regain the confidence of British voters, insisting that his government has a clear plan to steer the country in a new direction.
The embattled Director-General of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, Prince Adeyemi Matthew Adeniyi, has claimed that he personally lobbied officials at the Budget Office, leading to the inclusion of the controversial agency in the 2026 Federal Government budget.
Adeniyi made the claims during an interview with social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, following his arrest over allegations of operating a fictitious government agency.
ALSO READ: Oduah’s PhD certificate is fake –U.S. Education Agency
The agency, which the Federal Government has repeatedly described as non-existent, was allocated about ₦1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act, sparking public outrage and calls for a thorough investigation into Nigeria’s budget process.
During the interview, Adeniyi absolved the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, of any involvement, insisting he had never met him physically.
According to him, he first approached the Budget Office in December 2024 to seek the agency’s inclusion in the 2025 budget but was informed that the appropriation process had already closed.
“I went to that Budget Office for the 2025 budget. I submitted the letter and everything that I wanted, but I was told it was already late,” he said.
He explained that officials later advised him to pursue the proposal for the 2026 budget.
“When the 2025 budget came out and I didn’t see this budget, those people that I went to then said it would now be for the 2026 budget. We kept in touch because they said it would be considered later,” he said.
Adeniyi further alleged that a female official helped him gain access to the Director-General of the Budget Office, who later referred him to another senior official.
“She helped me to see the oga. Oga now said, ‘Where is my shini?’ I said I don’t have any shini. He later asked me to meet one director,” he claimed.
According to him, the director informed him that although the proposal could not be accommodated in the 2025 budget, efforts would continue ahead of the 2026 appropriation.
When asked whether he paid officials to facilitate the process, Adeniyi denied offering bribes.
“Honestly, I did not pay any money. I didn’t pay anybody. The only thing I promised was that if I started employing people, I could help them with employment opportunities.
“That was the favour I promised them. I did not give anybody money. It was just a promise that if they had people, I could employ them.”
Adeniyi said his arrest brought an end to every effort surrounding the budget proposal and that he was surprised when he later discovered the agency had been included in the 2026 budget.
“Immediately, there was a problem; everything stopped. Even the woman that wanted to help was calling because she couldn’t reach me because she was scared. I told her to let everything stop.
“I didn’t even know until they said it was inside the budget. I had already left the office. Where would I still pursue the budget again when I was already facing court?” he said.
Asked whether Budget Office officials could have inserted the agency into the budget after his arrest, he responded: “I don’t know because once that problem started, everything stopped. Why would I still pursue the budget when I was already in trouble?”
Adeniyi also addressed allegations that he paid ₦400 million to secure his purported appointment, claiming the money was delivered in United States dollars through his late associate, Dolapo Tanimola.
“Dollars,” he replied when asked the currency of the payment.
Asked who received the money, he answered:
“Dolapo.”
He maintained that he never met Gbajabiamila before or after his purported appointment.
“I never met Gbajabiamila physically before and after he was appointed. Dolapo Tanimola handled everything for me.”
Meanwhile, VeryDarkMan, in the caption accompanying the interview, called for a comprehensive investigation into the Budget Office and other government institutions, arguing that Adeniyi should not be the only person held accountable if his allegations are proven true.
However, the allegations made by Adeniyi have not been independently verified, and the officials and institutions mentioned have not publicly responded to the latest claims.
Adeniyi is facing charges including forgery and impersonation after allegedly operating the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council from an office within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja using forged government documents.
The Presidency has consistently maintained that the council has no legal existence and has described Adeniyi as an impostor, distancing the Federal Government from the alleged organisation despite its appearance in the 2026 Appropriation Act with a ₦1.3 billion allocation.
NUPRC Charges Oil Bloc Winners on Compliance with PIA
Sahara Opens Kaduna, Jigawa Recycling Hubs
Andy Burnham Sworn In as UK Prime Minister After King Charles Meeting Writing
Fake Agency DG Adeniyi Reveals How ₦1.3bn Found Its Way Into 2026 Budget
Alleged $789,950 Fraud: Court Slams ₦500m Bail on Former Warri Refinery MD
BREAKING: Four Police Officers Arrested for Extorting ICPC Chairman in Abuja
Trump’s Family Unveils New Cryptocurrency Platform
Senate Denies Receiving Petitions Against Tinubu’s Ambassadorial Nominees
Dangote Cement Lights Up Benue Host Communities With CSR Initiatives
Reps Recommend 3-year Jail Term For Aviation minister
Tems Sets New Record On Billboard Hot 100 Chart
