Who was Ayman al-Zawahiri?

(NewsNation) — A CIA drone strike has killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan, according to multiple Associated Press sources.

Al-Zawahiri, born in Egypt in 1951, succeeded Osama bin Laden as the head of Al-Qaeda following his death at the hands of U.S. forces in 2011.

Al-Zawahiri had been indicted for his alleged role in the Aug. 7, 1998 bombings of the United States embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya.

He was also the leader of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the terrorist organization blamed for the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat in 1981, according to The New York Times.

'A huge blow': Experts react to al-Zawahiri's death

Al-Zawahiri's loss eliminates the figure who more than anyone shaped Al-Qaeda, first as Osama bin Laden’s deputy since 1998, then as his successor. Together, he and bin Laden focused the jihadi movement’s efforts on targeting the United States, carrying out the deadliest attack ever on American soil — the Sept. 11, 2001 suicide hijackings.

The attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in 2001 made bin Laden America’s Enemy No. 1. But he likely could never have carried it out without al-Zawahiri. Bin Laden provided Al-Qaeda with charisma and money, but al-Zawahiri brought tactics and organizational skills needed to forge militants into a network of cells in countries around the world.

Their partnership was forged in the late 1980s, when al-Zawahiri reportedly treated the Saudi millionaire bin Laden in the caves of Afghanistan as Soviet bombardment shook the mountains around them.

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  397285 02: UNDATED PHOTO Osama bin Laden (L) sits with his adviser Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian linked to the al Qaeda network, during an interview with Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan. In the article, which was published November 10, 2001 in Karachi, bin Laden said he had nuclear and chemical weapons and might use them in response to U.S. attacks. (Photo by Visual News/Getty Images)

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  This still image obtained September 10, 2012 from IntelCenter shows Ayman al-Zawahiri speaking from an undisclosed location in an Al-Qaeda's as-Sahab video released September 10, 2012 and titled "The Lion of Knowledge and Jihad: Martyrdom of al-Sheikh Abu Yahya al-Libi". This is his 13th statement for 2012. The video is in Arabic and does not have subtitles. In the video al-Zawahiri provides the first high-level, public confirmation from Al-Qaeda on the death of Abu Yahya al-Libi. This video fits the standard pattern of al-Qaeda releases designed to eulogize significant members of the group. The video contains multiple clips of al-Libi. The last time al-Zawahiri appeared in a video where we could see him was 91 days ago on June 3, 2012. The last time al-Zawahiri released an audio statement was 77 days ago on June 17, 2012. Zawahiri became Al-Qaeda's chief after its founder Osama bin Laden, who was the world's most wanted man, was killed in a US raid on a Pakistan hideout in May last year. AFP PHOTO / IntelCenter == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE / MANDATORY CREDIT: "AFP PHOTO / IntelCenter" / NO SALES / NO MARKETING / NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS / OBSCURING OR CROPPING OUT INTELCENTER LOGO NOT PERMITTED / DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS == (Photo by - / IntelCenter / AFP) (Photo by -/IntelCenter/AFP via Getty Images)

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  A grab taken from a video entitled "An invitation to Islam" produced by Al-Sahab and released 02 September 2006 shows the number two in Al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri (L), and "Azzam the American", a US national sought by the FBI and identified as Adam Yahiye Gadahn. In the 48-minute video, Zawahiri presented "Azzam the American", and urged the "American people in particular and Westerners in general to listen to the extremely serious words of our brother Azzam the American concerning their fate". AFP PHOTO/INTERNET (Photo by - / INTERNET / AFP) (Photo by -/INTERNET/AFP via Getty Images)

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  EGYPT 1982: (FILE PHOTO) Ayman Al-Zawahri stands behind bars in an Egyptian court in 1982 during his trial as one of the masterminds behind the assassination of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat in 1981. Al-Zawahri, an Egyptian surgeon, became a member of Egyptian Islamic Jihad in 1981. After three years in jail, convicted of being a member of an illegal Islamic group, Al-Zawahri was expelled from the country. He travelled to Pakistan, where he met Osama bin Laden. He is now considered to be bin Laden's top lieutenant. (Photo by Getty Images)

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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