Did US use secret ‘ninja’ missile to kill al-Qaeda leader Zawahiri?
- Apparent lack of explosion in Ayman al-Zawahiri’s killing point to possible use of warhead-less Hellfire R9X missile
- US-made missile is believed equipped with razor-like blades that slice through its target but does not explode
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Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri killed in US drone strike on house in Afghan capital Kabul
That points to the use again by the United States of the macabre Hellfire R9X, a warhead-less missile believed equipped with six razor-like blades extending from the fuselage that slices through its target but does not explode.
Never publicly acknowledged by the Pentagon or CIA – the two US agencies known to undertake targeted assassinations of extremist leaders – the R9X first appeared in March 2017 when al-Qaeda senior leader Abu al-Khayr al-Masri was killed by a drone strike while travelling in a car in Syria.
Photos of the vehicle showed a large hole through the roof, with the car’s metal, and all of the interior, including its occupants, physically shredded. But the front and rear of the car appeared completely intact.
Up until then, Hellfire missiles – fired by drones in targeted attacks – were known for powerful explosions and often extensive collateral damage and deaths.
Since 2017, a handful of other finely-targeted attacks show similar results.