Generation Jihad: Ep. 3 – AQAP Names A New Emir
Hosts Bill Roggio and Tom Joscelyn profile Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) new emir, Khalid Batarfi.
Hosts Bill Roggio and Tom Joscelyn profile Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) new emir, Khalid Batarfi.
Last week, AQAP released an audio message form its new emir, Khalid Batarfi. In it, Batarfi renews his allegiance to Ayman al-Zawahiri on behalf of AQAP. He also praises the Taliban and Shabaab.
The White House has confirmed that AQAP’s leader, Qasim al-Rimi, was killed in a counterterrorism operation. Rimi served as a “deputy” to Ayman al-Zawahiri, meaning that he was likely part of al-Qaeda’s global management team.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has released a video claiming “full responsibility” for the Dec. 2019 shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola. The video features images of the shooter, Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani (Al-Shamrani) and his will, but doesn’t explain how he was known to AQAP beforehand.
Two statements, which were released by al Qaeda’s general command and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, were addressed to Shabaab yesterday in a coordinated messaging campaign.
The past week has seen the harshest fighting between the two jihadist groups since April.
Al Jazeera released a documentary alleging that Bahrain and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula work together. Today, the al Qaeda branch denied this accusation in a letter to the editor.
While strikes against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have waned over the past year, they have not halted all together. AQAP remains a significant threat.