Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed by a missile not officially recognized by either the Pentagon or the CIA: the Hellfire R9X “Flying Ginsu”. This weapon, also called “ninja bomb”, has the peculiarity that it does not explode but cuts its target.
Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed on the night of Saturday July 30-Sunday July 31, US President Joe Biden announced on the night of Monday-Tuesday August 2 known. The terrorist organization’s now ex-number 1 was hit by a US-led drone strike.
“The strike was eventually (…) carried out by an unmanned aircraft. Two Hellfire missiles (are fired at) Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is killed,” a senior American official revealed on condition of anonymity, d’ after our colleague from TF1 Info. According to the operational scenario, Ayman al-Zawahiri was the only one killed on the balcony of a house in Kabul, Afghanistan. No civilians were injured or killed, a senior US official told reporters.
A rocket that was never officially recognized
To be successful in this operation, the United States would have opted to deploy an impressive missile: the Hellfire R9X “Flying Ginsu” or “Flying Ginsu,” which takes its name from a 1980s television advertisement for Ginsu brand kitchen knives , these could cut a aluminum can and stay sharp, the Huffpost specifies. However, this missile was never officially recognized by the Pentagon or the CIA. Also known as the “Ninja Bomb,” this weapon has become a favorite ammo for eliminating specific targets without causing collateral damage.
The victim finds himself cut into pieces
Heavy at 45kg of metal, the Hellfire R9X can cross people, cars or even buildings at full speed. According to BFMTV, citing The Wall Street Journal, hitting such a missile is like a hard hit from an “anvil fallen from the sky.” In addition, this rocket with no explosive charge is equipped with six blades that deploy at the last second. The victim is therefore cut into pieces and crushed by the rocket, stresses BFMTV.
So Ayman al-Zawahiri would have been killed by that Hellfire R9X missile, but he wouldn’t be the only casualty. Qassam al-Urduni and Bilal al-Sanaani, two commanders of the Syrian organization Tanzim Hurras ad-Din, which is linked to the al-Qaeda group, have also been victims of this deadly weapon in the past, HuffPost reports. No mention of explosions would have been found in the investigation reports, casting doubt on the use of this type of missile.