2022 Essay Revives El-Sayed's Criticism of Biden's Zawahiri Strike
The Michigan Senate candidate accused the former president of using the killing of a 9/11 architect to improve his standing ahead of the 2022 midterms.
By Jason Lee ·
A 2022 essay by Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, has resurfaced with renewed scrutiny. In the piece, El-Sayed accused President Joe Biden of exploiting the killing of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri for domestic political advantage. The Washington Free Beacon first reported the essay's contents.
The criticism centers on the U.S. drone strike that eliminated al-Zawahiri. Biden announced the operation on Aug. 1, 2022, stating that al-Zawahiri was deeply involved in planning the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The former president described al-Zawahiri as one of the most responsible for the attacks that killed 2,977 people on American soil.
El-Sayed wrote for The New Republic that the administration was using the strike to bolster the president's approval ratings ahead of the midterm elections. He argued that Biden was leveraging 'War on Terror' themes to rescue a lagging term. El-Sayed stated that the operation provided the government with a fig leaf, suggesting that direct action against terrorist targets in Afghanistan was still viable despite the presence of the Taliban.
The essay did not defend al-Zawahiri. El-Sayed described the al-Qaeda leader as a craven terrorist who died with the blood of innocent civilians on his hands. He further suggested that if the administration truly wanted to project strength in the Middle East, it should confront autocratic regional leaders traditionally aligned with the United States.
This is not El-Sayed's first public questioning of high-profile counterterrorism actions. Following the 2020 drone strike that killed Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani, El-Sayed warned that one should not kick a rabid dog. He previously called the killing of U.S. citizen Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen an extrajudicial assassination. He has also compared Donald Trump to Osama bin Laden, arguing that both inspired acts of terrorism.
El-Sayed's campaign did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Source: Fox News
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