Is Al-Qaeda's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri dead?

Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has died of natural causes, Pakistani media claimed today, following persistent rumours of the terrorist leader's demise.

Security sources in Pakistan and Afghanistan told Arab News that Zawahiri was dead, possibly succumbing to asthma following 'breathing issues'. Last heard from in a message on the anniversary of 9/11, Zawahiri's health and longevity have long been in doubt, although reports of his death have proved incorrect in the past. 

The Egyptian-born doctor was second-in-command to Osama bin Laden and took over the terrorist network after the Saudi's death in 2011, but its influence has waned and al-Qaeda is now widely seen as a shadow of its former self. 

One of the sources who spoke to Arab News was an al-Qaeda translator said to maintain close ties with the group, who said Zawahiri had died in Afghanistan. 'He died of asthma because he had no formal treatment,' the translator told the outlet's Pakistani edition. 

A Pakistani security official in tribal areas near the Afghan border said 'we are firm that he has died of natural causes' following persistent rumours. Another Pakistani source, a security officer with knowledge of anti-terror operations, said they had information that Zawahiri had died around a month ago.

Culled From DailyMail.Co.UK