Al-Zawahiri killing only highlights Afghanistan’s problems

Ayman al-Zawahiri was an intellectual driving force of al-Qaeda, and Osama bin Laden’s successor as the Islamist group’s leader since 2011. His death in a US strike in Kabul brings justice of sorts for the families of victims of a string of terrorist atrocities including the 9/11 attacks on the US. It demonstrates America’s ability to continue to mount “over-the-horizon” counter-terrorism operations, nearly a year after the ignominious US withdrawal from Afghanistan. But it may do little in itself to hamper the operational capabilities of al-Qaeda, or reduce the risk...