Al-Qaeda chief blames US for Ukraine invasion in new video

Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri recently made an appearance in a pre-recorded video to mark the 11th anniversary of the death of his predecessor Osama bin Laden.

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In the video, Al-Zawahri has reportedly said that “US weakness” was the reason that its ally Ukraine became “prey” for the Russian invasion.

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The 27-minute speech was released on Friday according to the SITE Intelligence group, which monitors militant activity. The leader appears sitting at a desk with books and a gun.

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Urging Muslim unity, al-Zawahri said the United States was in a state of weakness and decline, citing the impact of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan launched after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Bin Laden was the mastermind and financier behind the attacks.

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“Here (the US) is after its defeat in Iraq and Afghanistan, after the economic disasters caused by the 9/11 invasions, after the Corona pandemic, and after it left its ally Ukraine as prey for the Russians,” he said.

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Bin Laden was killed in a 2011 raid by US forces on his compound hideout in Pakistan.

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Al-Zawahri’s whereabouts are unknown. He is wanted by the FBI and there is a $25 million reward for information leading to his capture.