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Gulf states continue to pay price in Yemen despite advances
While the Saudi-led coalition has made gains towards the proclaimed Houthi capital in Sanaa, the Iranian-backed Shiites continue to hit the coalition hard in both Yemen and southern Saudi Arabia.
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AQAP’s Inspire magazine contains ‘military analysis’ of Charlie Hebdo massacre
AQAP’s latest edition of Inspire magazine includes an article by Ibrahim Ibn Hassan al Asiri, who describes al Qaeda’s plan to attack Charlie Hebdo in Paris.
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AQAP, Islamic State both praise 9/11 attacks in English-language magazines
The latest editions of AQAP’s Inspire and the Islamic State’s Dabiq were published online today. Both English-language magazines praise the 9/11 attacks.
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New AQAP leader renews allegiance to the ‘beloved father,’ Ayman al Zawahiri
Qasim al Raymi, the new head of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), reaffirms his allegiance to Ayman al Zawahiri in a newly-released audio message. It is al Raymi’s first message as AQAP’s emir.
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Guantanamo detainee is brother of AQAP’s new top leader
Qasim al Raymi was appointed the new top leader of AQAP following the death of his predecessor earlier this month. His younger brother has been held at Guantanamo for more than 13 years. Files written by Joint Task Force-Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) provide details concerning Qasim al Raymi’s career, including his time in pre-9/11 Afghanistan.
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AQAP executes alleged ‘spies’ blamed for leaders’ deaths
AQAP executed two men on a beach in Mukallah after accusing them of serving as spies for the US and Saudi Arabia. According to jihadists on social media, the two men helped locate AQAP leaders killed in drone strikes this year. The Long War Journal cannot independently verify these claims.
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AQAP confirms death of senior leader
AQAP has confirmed that its emir, Nasir al Wuhayshi, was killed in a US drone strike earlier this month. The group’s new leader is Qasim al Raymi, who previously served as AQAP’s military commander.
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Al Qaeda’s deputy general manager killed in US drone strike
AQAP has confirmed that Nasser bin Ali al Ansi was killed in a US drone strike. Al Ansi was a senior AQAP official, as well as al Qaeda’s deputy general manager. He was considered one of Osama bin Laden’s “special ones.”
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Analysis: Why AQAP quickly denied any connection to mosque attacks
The Islamic State’s attacks on Houthi civilians are part of a deliberate strategy. AQAP tries to avoid such operations, but the permissibility of deliberately killing Shiite civilians is still debated in jihadist circles.
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Osama bin Laden’s Files: Al Qaeda’s deputy general manager in Yemen
Documents recovered in Osama bin Laden’s compound reveal that Nasser bin Ali al Ansi, a senior Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) official, was appointed as one of al Qaeda’s deputy general managers. It is highly likely that he continues to serve in that role underneath Nasir al Wuhayshi, who is both AQAP’s emir and al Qaeda’s global general manager.
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Ansar al Sharia Libya leader met with Osama bin Laden, followed his ‘methodology’
Before his own death on Jan. 31, Harith al Nadhari, a senior AQAP sharia official, recorded an audio eulogy for the leader of Ansar al Sharia Libya, Mohammed al Zahawi. Nadhari noted that Zahawi had met with Osama bin Laden in the mid-1990s.
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Rebel coalition in Syria mourns al Qaeda official killed in US airstrike in Yemen
The Ansar al Din Front in Syria has released a statement mourning the death of Harith al Nadhari, a sharia official in al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula who was killed in a US drone strike on Jan. 31. The statement is further evidence that Ansar al Din is, at a minimum, closely allied with al Qaeda’s international network.
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Jihadists mourn slain AQAP sharia official
Jihadists aligned with al Qaeda’s international network mourned the death of Harith bin Ghazi al Nadhari, a senior AQAP sharia official, shortly after AQAP confirmed that he had been killed in a US drone strike.
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Influential AQAP ideologue killed in US drone strike
Harith bin Ghazi al Nadhari, a senior sharia official in al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was killed in a US drone strike on Jan. 31. Al Qaeda had consistently elevated Nadhari’s media profile, meaning he was considered a key ideologue for the global organization.
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AQAP releases infographics detailing attacks
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has released a report including two infographics that detail its attacks over the past three months. The group claims credit for 205 operations, including the massacre at Charlie Hebdo’s offices in Paris.
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AQAP issues guidelines for suicide operations
Harith al Nadhari, a senior AQAP sharia official, sets forth six recommendations for suicide operations in a newly-released video.
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Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claims responsibility for Charlie Hebdo attack
In a newly released video, a senior AQAP official states his organization planned the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo’s offices. AQAP chose the target and financed the operation, he says.
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Jihadists praise Paris attacks
Various jihadist groups around the world have commented on the terrorist attacks in Paris and have lauded the terrorists as “heroes.”
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Senior AQAP official praises Paris attack in new audio message
A senior AQAP official praises the Charlie Hebdo attack in a new audio message. Unverified statements also claim that AQAP ordered the attack.
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Paris terrorist reportedly claimed ties to Anwar al Awlaki, AQAP
One of the brothers responsible for the attack on Charlie Hebdo claimed to have met with Anwar al Awlaki. The other may have met with Awlaki as well. Meanwhile, another terrorist responsible for the siege of a kosher market claimed he was a member of the Islamic State.
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French authorities identify suspects in attack on Charlie Hebdo
Two of the suspects are brothers who recently returned from Syria. One of the brothers was previously convicted and sentenced to prison in France for recruiting jihadists to fight for al Qaeda in Iraq.
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State Department designates Egyptian jihadist group, ex-Gitmo detainee
The State Department today added Ajnad Misr, an Egyptian jihadist group, and Ibrahim Rubaish, a senior al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) official, to the US government’s list of specially designated global terrorists.
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AQAP claims double suicide attack at military base in Hadramout
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed credit for the double suicide attack today that killed at least five soldiers at the First Military Command base in Hadramout province.
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AQAP rejects Islamic State’s ‘caliphate,’ blasts group for sowing dissent among jihadists
Harith bin Ghazi al Nadhari, a senior AQAP sharia official, directly responds to a Nov. 13 speech by the Islamic State’s Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. Nadhari says that Baghdadi’s caliphate is illegitimate and criticizes him for trying to split the jihadists’ ranks around the world.
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AQAP continues to portray US-led bombing campaign as a ‘Crusade’
In a pair of videos released in late October, two leading AQAP ideologues preached jihadist unity in the face of the US-led coalition’s bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria. One of the videos also included thinly-veiled criticisms of the Islamic State’s declared caliphate.
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AQAP profiles slain media operative tied to Ayman al Zawahiri’s brother
On Oct. 20, AQAP released a biography for Mustafa Ali, an Egyptian who was killed in a US drone strike in late 2013. The group says he sought “knowledge” from Mohammed al Zawahiri, the younger brother of Ayman al Zawahiri, while imprisoned in Egypt.
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Al Qaeda portrays US-led bombing campaign as ‘Crusade’ against Islam
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has released a statement once again calling on jihadists in Syria to unite against their common enemies, especially the US. AQAP and other jihadists are portraying the US-led bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria as part of a “Crusade” against Muslims.
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AQAP official calls on rival factions in Syria to unite against West
Nasser bin Ali al Ansi, an AQAP leader, is featured in a new video calling on rival jihadists in Iraq and Syria to unite against their common enemies. Al Ansi says the jihadists should form a “coalition” to strike America.
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Treasury designations target al Qaeda’s international fundraising and facilitation network
The Treasury Department targeted six al Qaeda financiers and facilitators yesterday. Their work spans the globe, covering more than 10 nations from the Middle East to Southeast Asia.
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Al Qaeda branches urge jihadist unity against US
AQAP and AQIM have issued a joint statement encouraging the jihadists in Syria to unite in the face of the American-led opposition. However, the statement should not be read as an indication that they are breaking ranks from al Qaeda. The two groups also offer their condolences for the Ahrar al Sham leaders who were killed earlier this month.
