AQAP has taken control of Azzan, a town in Yemen’s southeastern Shabwa province. The jihadists have captured significant territory in southern Yemen since early 2015. AQAP’s front group, Ansar al Sharia, has launched a new social media campaign to promote its governance efforts, implementation of sharia law and provision of services in the areas under the jihadists’ control.
Asim Umar, al Qaeda’s top sharia official in Pakistan, will be holding a Q&A session online in May. The appearance is being promoted on social media.
A new al Qaeda video features Hossam Abdul Raouf, the editor of the “Vanguards of Khorasan” magazine. Raouf has long served al Qaeda. In his new speech, Raouf returns to an old theme, criticizing democracy and arguing that sharia law must be implemented.
The Tunisian government has arrested members of a terrorist cell trained by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Tunisia’s interior minister says that members of the cell were “active within” Ansar al Sharia Tunisia.