3 things the strike on al-Zawahiri tell us about the U.S.
A deadly U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan over the weekend offered several clues about what U.S. counterterrorism strategy is likely to look like in the future.
First, the target was al-Qaida's top leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, a man the U.S. had pursued for more than two decades.
The strike showed the U.S. could still track hard-to-find extremist leaders even if it takes a long time to find them.
Second, this was the first high-profile U.S. attack in Afghanistan since U.S. troops withdrew in August of last year.
Such strikes are far less frequent than during the height of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
Third, U.S. national security priorities have moved on after two years of wars against Islamist extremists.
Russia's war in Ukraine is the most pressing concern at the moment
China is the biggest challenge in the long term.
Watch our previous story Nancy Pelosi, who is scheduled to visit Taiwan