A8 — THE OBSERVER
WEEKEND READ
SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2022
EXPLAINER
A look at the missile that killed al-Qaida leader
By NOMAAN MERCHANT
and LOLITA C. BALDOR
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — For
a year, U.S. offi cials have
been saying that taking out
a terrorist threat in Afghan-
istan with no American
troops on the ground would
be diffi cult but not impos-
sible. Last weekend, the
U.S. did just that — killing
al-Qaida leader Ayman
al-Zawahri with a CIA
drone strike.
Other high-profi le air-
strikes in the past had inad-
vertently killed innocent
civilians. In this case, the
U.S. carefully chose to
use a type of Hellfi re mis-
sile that greatly minimized
the chance of other casual-
ties. Although U.S. offi cials
have not publicly confi rmed
which variant of the Hell-
fi re was used, experts and
others familiar with coun-
terterrorism operations
said a likely option was the
highly secretive Hellfi re
R9X — known by various
nicknames, including the
“knife bomb” or the “fl ying
Ginsu.”
That potential use of the
R9X, said Klon Kitchen,
senior fellow at the Amer-
ican Enterprise Insti-
tute and a former intelli-
gence analyst, suggests the
U.S. wanted to kill al-Za-
wahri with “limited likeli-
hood of collateral death and
destruction and for other
relevant political reasons.”
A look at the Hellfi re,
and how al-Zawahri likely
was killed:
What is a Hellfi re
missile?
Originally designed as
an anti-tank missile in the
1980s, the Hellfi re has been
used by military and intelli-
gence agencies over the last
two decades to strike tar-
gets in Iraq, Afghanistan,
Yemen and elsewhere.
The precision-guided
missiles can be mounted on
helicopters and unmanned
drones and are used widely
in combat around the world.
More than 100,000 Hell-
fi re missiles have been sold
to the U.S. and other coun-
tries, according to Ryan
Brobst, an analyst at the
Foundation for the Defense
of Democracies, a Wash-
ington think tank.
“It can do enough
damage to destroy most tar-
gets such as vehicles and
buildings while not doing
enough damage to level city
blocks and cause signifi cant
civilian casualties,” Brobst
said.
The U.S. military has
routinely used Hellfi re mis-
siles to kill high-value tar-
gets, including a senior
al-Qaida leader in Syria last
year, and al-Qaida propa-
gandist Anwar al-Awlaki in
Yemen in 2011.
What killed
al-Zawahri?
The U.S. had multiple
options for the attack. It
could have used a tradi-
tional Hellfi re, a bomb
dropped from an manned
aircraft, or a far more risky
assault by ground forces.
U.S. Navy SEALs, for
example, fl ew into Pakistan
on helicopters and took out
Osama bin Laden in a raid.
In this case, the CIA
opted for a drone strike.
And while the CIA gen-
erally doesn’t confi rm
its counterterrorism mis-
sions and closely guards
information about strikes
it conducts, U.S. govern-
ment offi cials have said that
two Hellfi re missiles were
fi red at the balcony of the
building where al-Zawahri
was living in Kabul.
Online images of the
building show damage
to the balcony, where the
U.S. says al-Zawahri was,
but the rest of the house
is standing and not badly
damaged.
Unlike other models of
the Hellfi re, the R9X doesn’t
carry an explosive payload.
Instead, it has a series of six
rotating blades that emerge
on its fi nal approach to a
HEALTH NOTIFICATION!
imizing the risks of killing
civilians, including mem-
bers of his family who were
in other parts of the house.
The choice of missile
is ultimately one part of
reducing the possibility of
killing civilians or causing
other collateral damage.
“I would say this is by
far a lower-risk option,”
said Tom Karako, an expert
on missile defense at the
Washington-based Center
for Strategic and Interna-
tional Studies. Using the
Hellfi re, he said, “refl ects
a high degree of caution as
opposed to a riskiness.”
Are You Hard of Hearing?
Is US providing Ukraine
drones that can fi re
Hellfi re missiles?
No. While the U.S. has
delivered billions of dollars
in military assistance to help
Ukraine fi ght the invading
Russian troops, it is wary
of providing weapons that
could fi re deep into Russia,
potentially escalating the
confl ict or drawing the U.S.
into the war.
As a result, the U.S. so
far has not provided Hell-
fi re missiles or drones that
could fi re them. Instead, the
U.S. has delivered smaller,
so-called kamikaze drones,
such as the Switchblade
and Phoenix Ghost, which
instead of fi ring missiles,
explode when they hit a
target.
Jason Sweeney/U.S. Army
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target, Kitchen said. “One of
Less than a year ago, a
posed an imminent threat
said the offi cial, who
their utilities is in opening up U.S. drone strike — using a to troops
on the
on condition
offer
is ground.
free It of spoke
charge
and of ano-
you are under no
vehicles and other obstruc-
more conventional Hellfi re
was, military leaders said,
nymity to discuss counter-
tions to get to the target
missile — struck a white
a “tragic
mistake.”
terrorism operations.
obligation.
without having to use an
Toyota Corolla sedan in a
One former U.S. offi -
An administration offi -
explosive warhead,” he said.
Kabul neighborhood and
cial said the likely choice
cial said Monday that the
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killed 10 civilians around
of an These
R9X is an revolutionary
example
U.S. investigated
the con-
Avoiding civilian
and near the car, including
of the administration’s
struction of the house
the
latest
casualties
seven children. In the midst eff ort instruments
to fi nd ways to min- use
where
al-Zawahri
was technology to
U.S. offi cials and experts of the chaotic U.S. military imize collateral damage
staying in order to ensure
comfortably and
almost invisibly help you
made clear this week that
withdrawal from Afghan-
and prevent the loss of
that the operation could be
avoiding civilian casualties istan, American forces
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sives in the car and that it
that the
strikes “stopped
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also min-
ears” and and
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Since 1990 the Miracle-Ear Foundation™ has been providing hearing aids, follow-up care, and educational resources to
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available for
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price.
In this image provided by the U.S. Army, contactors from General Atomics load Hellfi re missiles onto an MQ-1C Gray Eagle at Camp Taji, Iraq, on
Feb. 27, 2011. For a year, U.S. offi cials have been saying that taking out a terrorist threat in Afghanistan with no American troops on the ground
would be diffi cult but not impossible. Last weekend, the U.S. did just that — killing al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri with a CIA drone strike.
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eligibility status.
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The Miracle Ear Foundation
Since 1990 the Miracle-Ear Foundation™ has been providing hearing aids, follow-up care, and educational resources to
people with hearing loss who demonstrate personal inability to financially provide for their hearing health needs. We do
this because we believe everyone in our community deserves quality hearing instruments.
Special Notice State
Employees
You may qualify for a
hearing aid benefit up to
$4,000 every 4 years.
Call for eligibility status.
Code:
(Locations, Address, Phone Mention
22AugHealth
LA GRANDE
BAKER CITY
ENTERPRISE
numbers)
111 Elm Street
2021 Washington Ave.
113-1/2 Front E. Main St.
La Grande, OR 97850 Special Notice
Baker
OR 97814
State City,
Employees
Enterprise, OR 97828
You may qualify for a hearing aid benefit up to $4,000 every 4 years. Call for
541-605-2109
541-239-3782
541-239-3877
eligibility status.
visit us online at: www.miracle-ear.com
The Miracle Ear Foundation
Hearing tests are always free. Hearing test is an audiometric test to determine proper amplification needs only. Hearing Aids do not restore natural hearing. Individual experiences will vary depending on severity of
Since
1990 the
Miracle-Ear
Foundation™
has been Pursuant
providing
hearing
follow-up
and
educational
resources
to the completion of fitting, in
loss, accuracy of evaluation by our
Consultant,
proper
fit, and the ability
to adjust amplification.
to terms
of your aids,
purchase
agreement, care,
the aids
must
be returned within
30 days of
satisfactory condition for a full people
refund. with hearing loss who demonstrate personal inability to financially provide for their hearing health needs. We do
this because we believe everyone in our community deserves quality hearing instruments.