Who Was Ayman Al-Zawahiri Wife Azza Ahmed? What Was Her Death Cause?
Olivia House
Published Feb 09, 2026
Ayman Al-Zawahiri and his wife, Azza Ahmed, were together for more than two decades.
A theologian and physician, Ayman Al-Zawahiri was infamous as the leader of al-Qaeda, a terrorist group. After Osama bin Laden died, he succeeded and became a senior member of an Islamist organization that attacked Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.
In recent days, US President Joe Biden has confirmed that the US has killed al-Qaeda’s leader. Following his death, the public has taken an interest in his family members.
The US State Department put a reward of $25 million for “information or intelligence” for his capture after the 11 September 2001 attack. He was killed on 31 July 2022 in Kabul.
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Who Was Ayman Al-Zawahiri Wife Azza Ahmed?
An infamous leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri was married to his wife, Azza Ahmed, in 1978. They were married to each other for around twenty-three years until she passed away in 2001.
Ayman has a relationship with at least four wives in his life, and one of them was Azza. She was his first wife, who pursued her education in philosophy at Cairo University.
They had their wedding in Opera Square at the Continental Hotel, where men and women had separate areas in the function, with no photographs, music, and whatnot. The wedding ceremony was rather conservative.
She was known for having no idea about her husband and then being in a jihadi emir when the US attacked Afghanistan following the 11 September attacks. Azza had always been living her life and looking after her children in the home.
Besides, she has not made much of a public appearance or comes to the media light. She was the first wife of Al-Zawahiri, who had been by her husband’s side until she passed away.
Azza Ahmed Death Cause And Obituary
Azza Ahmed died after the US forces airstrike attacked Afghanistan in late December 2001, following the 11 September attacks on the US.
Following her obituary, those who knew her tributed her. She passed away after an aerial bombardment at Gardez, a Taliban-controlled building.
At that time, she was pinned under the debris on a guesthouse roof and refused to get excavated so the men couldn’t see her face. The following day, she died of an injury, regardless of the Afghan rescuers trying to save Azza.
After two decades after Azza’s death, her husband al-Zahawahiri died after getting a US drone strike. President Joe Biden commented this brings an end to the “trail of murder and violence against American citizens.”
Biden added that he was deeply involved in the 11 September 2001 terror attacks on the US. On Sunday, he got killed during the CIA’s counter-terrorism operation in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
How Many Children Do Ayman Al-Zawahiri And Azza Ahmed Have?
Ayman Al-Zawahiri and Azza Ahmed had four daughters named Fatima (born in 1981), Umayma (born in 1983), Nabila (born in 1986), and Khadiga (born in 1978). Besides, the couple also had a son named Mohammed (born in 1987).
After their five children, the couple welcomed their other daughter, Aisha(born in 1997), who underwent Down syndrome. She died along with her brother Mohammed and her mother in the airstrike by US forces.