Staff Reports
Images from Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Kabul Zawahiri's home reveal the U.S. employed a R9X "ninja bomb"
Hellfire R9X missile, known as a "Ninja bomb" or "flying ginsu," morphs into a "death blender" before penetrating its target. The missile's six blades shred the target while sparing the surrounding region, limiting civilian deaths.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the moniker "flying ginsu" refers to a late 1970s infomercial for a knife that could cut tree branches and tomatoes (WSJ). The weapon killed Qassem Soleimani in 2020 and Jamal al-Badawi in 2019, the WSJ reported.
After Sunday's successful operation on Zawahiri, photographs suggest the unusual missile was employed again. “The apparent lack of explosive damage may suggest the U.S. used an R9X ‘flying ginsu’ missile,” director of the Middle East Institute’s Syria program Charlies Listen wrote on Twitter.
Wow — #Zawahiri killed in a U.S. drone strike in the #Kabul area over the weekend — the 1st strike since the #Taliban's takeover of #Afghanistan in August 2021.
BIG blow for #AlQaeda's central leadership, but huge questions about how he was located (or who sold him out). https://t.co/FPIBcSrwyh
— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) August 1, 2022
Zawahiri was on the balcony when the Hellfire missiles struck, a Biden administration official said. Sirajuddin Haqqani's son and son-in-law also killed in the strike, according to Lister.
Residents near the residence in Kabul's Shirpur neighborhood reported hearing a loud blast that scared youngsters. Residents a few blocks from the target reported feeling the ground shake and hearing the missile's scream.
According to NDTV, two firearms were used Sunday with no civilian injuries. The CIA and Pentagon have never admitted using Hellfire R9X, the outlet said.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Daily Caller.
