After al-Zawahiri killing, what’s next for global jihad?

The assassination comes as al-Qaeda seeks to regain its terrorism leadership while Isis is still reeling from the loss of its caliphate, writes Kim Sengupta

After the 9/11 attacks, General Norman Schwarzkopf, head of US Central Command, was asked if America could ever forgive Osama bin Laden. “It’s not our job to forgive Bin Laden,” he responded. “It’s God’s job to forgive Bin Laden; our job is to ensure that a face-to-face meeting takes place.”

Twenty-one years on, another of the main figures responsible for the worst acts of terrorism in America’s history has been hunted down and executed. Ayman al-Zawahiri, who personally oversaw the New York atrocity and succeeded Bin Laden as head of al-Qaeda, was killed by a missile strike in Kabul.

The US had put a $25m bounty on his head. But the Egyptian former surgeon had escaped American retribution since taking over from Bin Laden following his assassination by US special forces in Pakistan 11 years ago.