Overview
Also Known As:
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Executive Summary:
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is the union of al-Qaeda’s branches in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. AQAP has carried out violent jihadist attacks both domestically and internationally in service of al-Qaeda’s ideology. Although the group carries out most of its attacks inside Yemen, AQAP is widely known for carrying out the fatal shooting at the Paris offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in January 2015, as well as for its involvement in terrorist plots on U.S. soil, including the “Christmas Day Bomber” in 2009 and the “Times Square Bomber” in 2010.
After Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s removal from office in early 2012, AQAP took advantage of the fractured political scene by establishing an insurgency in southern Yemen. Since Yemen descended into civil war in 2015, AQAP has benefited from the political vacuum by attempting to develop its own pseudo-state in the southern region. The civil war has coincidentally strengthened AQAP by causing Western forces to withdraw and the Yemeni and Saudi Arabia forces to focus on the opposing Houthi rebels.Katharine Zimmerman, “AQAP: A Resurgent Threat,” Combating Terrorism Center, September 11, 2015, https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/aqap-a-resurgent-threat. AQAP has been further strengthened by the material support its affiliates have received from the anti-Houthi coalition, as the coalition often turns a blind-eye to AQAP and its affiliates and regularly enters into alliances with the group.“Yemen’s al-Qaeda: Expanding the Base,” International Crisis Group, February 2, 2017, https://d2071andvip0wj.cloudfront.net/174-yemen-s-al-qaeda-expanding-the-base.pdf. In fact, three associates of the Saudi-backed President Mansour al-Hadi have appeared on a U.S. Treasury list of global terrorists for allegedly providing financial support to, and acting on behalf of, AQAP.“Yemen’s al-Qaeda: Expanding the Base,” International Crisis Group, February 2, 2017, https://d2071andvip0wj.cloudfront.net/174-yemen-s-al-qaeda-expanding-the-base.pdf. The United States responded with an expanded counterterrorism campaign, consisting primarily of drone strikes against AQAP leaders. An Associated Press investigation in August 2018 accused both the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia of integrating former AQAP fighters into their allied Yemeni forces. The report found that the UAE had paid local tribes, whose members were at the time allied with AQAP, in order to convince them to switch sides and help force out AQAP militants from those areas.Maggie Michael, “US official says UAE paid Yemen tribes to push al-Qaida out,” Washington Times, August 15, 2018, https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/aug/15/us-official-says-uae-paid-yemen-tribes-to-push-al-/. Senior UAE commanders further confirmed that they recruited “many AQAP ‘fighters’ [who] were just young men under their [AQAP] control who were coerced or persuaded to take up arms.”Bel Trew, “Former al-Qaeda footsoldiers have been allowed into Yemen forces, admits UAE military,” Independent, August 16, 2018, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-civil-war-al-qaeda-soldiers-uae-military-emirati-a8494481.html.
AQAP operates throughout Yemen, primarily in the country’s southern and central regions.Joshua Koontz, “AQAP’s Opportunism in Yemen: Benefit or Bust?,” Cipher Brief, November 16, 2016, https://www.thecipherbrief.com/column/agenda-setter/aqaps-opportunism-yemen-benefit-or-bust-1089;
“Yemen crisis: Who is fighting whom?,” BBC News, October 14, 2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29319423. In many of these provinces, AQAP governs small pockets of territory with sharia (Islamic law) courts and a heavily armed militia. AQAP attempts to appeal to the Yemeni people by meeting their basic needs and integrating into the local population, including by conforming to the local governance structures. According to a February 2017 report by the International Crisis Group, AQAP has successfully presented itself as “part of a wider Sunni front against Houthi expansion,” further providing the organization with local allies and room to operate in the country.“Yemen’s al-Qaeda: Expanding the Base,” International Crisis Group, February 2, 2017, https://d2071andvip0wj.cloudfront.net/174-yemen-s-al-qaeda-expanding-the-base.pdf. In addition to controlling territory in Yemen, AQAP is believed to pose a major terrorist threat to the United States.Katharine Zimmerman, “AQAP: A Resurgent Threat,” Combating Terrorism Center, September 11, 2015, https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/aqap-a-resurgent-threat;
Yara Bayoumy, Noah Browning, Mohammed Ghobari, “How Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen has made al Qaeda stronger – and richer,” Reuters, April 8, 2016, http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/yemen-aqap/.
Doctrine:
In the group’s inaugural video in 2009, AQAP’s former leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi announced the merging of al-Qaeda affiliates in Saudi Arabia and Yemen to form AQAP. In the video, Wuhayshi formally declared the group’s intention to avenge its enemies “with blood and destruction,” in order to establish an Islamic Caliphate and implement Sharia law.“Country Reports on Terrorism 2013,” U.S. Department of State, April 2014, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2013/224829.htm.
Wuhayshi ended his opening speech with prayers tailored to AQAP’s goals:
“O Allah! Bring conquest over the Holy Mosque and the Haramain [highway from Mecca to Medina] by our hands! O Allah Give us the honor by establishing the Islamic State with our hands!”“Qaeda: English: “From Here We Begin…and at Al-Aqsa We Meet” World Analysis, February 19, 2009, http://worldanalysis.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=212.
An AQAP document from 2012 expanded on these objectives. According to the document, AQAP’s primary goals are to “[e]xpel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula” and “[e]stablish the Islamic Caliphate and Shari’ah rule which the apostate governments have suspended.”“Who Are the Mujahideen in the Arabian Peninsula?” Treadstone 71, last modified January 14, 2012, https://www.treadstone71.com/index.php/osint/osint-intel/free-whitepapers/view_document/34-who-are-the-mujahideen-of-the-arabian-peninsula.
In pursuing these ends, AQAP champions a violent interpretation of jihad and offers a number of ways Muslims can support its agenda, such as “[i]nform[ing] the Mujahideen [jihadists] about spies and the presence of Jews, Christians and the greatest criminals.” AQAP also encourages Muslims to “[b]e hostile to and hate the infidel” and “[r]aise children to love Jihad.”“Who Are the Mujahideen in the Arabian Peninsula?” Treadstone 71, last modified January 14, 2012, https://www.treadstone71.com/index.php/osint/osint-intel/free-whitepapers/view_document/34-who-are-the-mujahideen-of-the-arabian-peninsula.
As a formal affiliate of al-Qaeda, AQAP’s ideology and practices fall in line with al-Qaeda’s broader goals of working towards global Islamist domination. AQAP seeks to execute its Islamist mission through violent jihad, and is believed to be the al-Qaeda affiliate most ideologically similar to al-Qaeda’s core.Scott Stewart, “Al Qaeda’s Leadership in Yemen,” Stratfor, May 12, 2011, http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20110511-al-qaeda-leadership-yemen#axzz3Q7H5gtWc.. Although the group is based in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, members have attempted to carry out terrorist plots worldwide.
Organizational Structure:
According to a 2010 report from the think-tank New America, AQAP is “compartmentalized and hierarchical, with a distinct division of labor. It has a political leader who provides overall direction, a military chief to plan operational details, a propaganda wing that seeks to draw in recruits, and a religious branch that tries to justify attacks from a theological perspective while offering spiritual guidance.”Barak Barfi, “Yemen on the Brink?: The Resurgence of Al Qaeda in Yemen,” New America Foundation, January 2010, 2. http://www.newamerica.net/sites/newamerica.net/files/policydocs/Barfi.pdf.
Since mid-2017, however, AQAP has suffered from losses to its leadership and field commanders due to extensive Yemeni and international counterterrorism operations, according to the U.N. Analytical Support Sanctions Monitoring Team’s July 2018 report.U.N. Security Council, “Twenty-second report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant to resolution 2368 (2017) concerning ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities,” July 27, 2018, http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2018/705&referer=/english/&Lang=E. Notably in late 2017, AQAP’s chief bomb maker Ibrahim al-Asiri was killed, creating an operational vacuum, as well as senior propagandist Abu Hajar al-Makki, severely disrupting the group’s propaganda efforts. Additionally, when senior cleric Ibrahim al-Rubaish was killed in 2015, AQAP left his position vacant before eventually appointing Yemeni jihadist Abdullah Mubarak to serve as the “new sharia official” more than two years later.Thomas Joscelyn, “Analysis: AQAP remains under pressure,” Long War Journal, May 26, 2018, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2018/05/analysis-aqap-remains-under-pressure.php.
In 2011, AQAP created a domestic affiliate called Ansar al Sharia (AAS). According to the International Crisis Group, AAS serves as AQAP’s domestic insurgent arm, drawing in recruits who has been wary of AQAP, “which many Yemenis view as a regime instrument … and likely to trigger a military backlash.”“Yemen’s al-Qaeda: Expanding the Base,” International Crisis Group, Middle East Report N°174, February 2, 2017, https://d2071andvip0wj.cloudfront.net/174-yemen-s-al-qaeda-expanding-the-base.pdf.
Political branch
AQAP was most recently headed by Khalid Batarfi, until his alleged arrest by Yemeni forces on October 2, 2020.“Pro-ISIS Telegram Channel Alleges Al-Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Leader Khalid Batarfi Turned Himself In To Yemeni Forces In Al-Mahrah During Raid That Killed Two Key Al-Qaeda Commanders,” The Middle East Media Research Institute, October 7, 2020, https://www.memri.org/jttm/pro-isis-telegram-channel-alleges-al-qaeda-arabian-peninsula-aqap-leader-khalid-batarfi-turned; “Gulf of Aden Security Review,” Critical Threats, October 5, 2020, https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-october-5-2020#_edn4528c5682c5f4a0d107d760023177f711. Batarfi was named emir following the death of AQAP emir and co-founder, Qasim al-Raymi, in a U.S. drone strike in January 2020.Nikki Carvajal and Caroline Kelly, “White House announces death of terror leader Qassim al-Rimi,” CNN, February 7, 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/06/politics/white-house-announces-death-of-aqap-leader/index.html. Raymi filled this position on June 16, 2015, one day after former AQAP leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi died in a U.S. drone strike. Little is known about Raymi’s specific role, but it is suspected that he has inherited Wuhayshi’s responsibilities.“Designations of AQAP Leaders Qasim al-Rimi and Nayif al-Qahtani,” U.S. Department of State, May 11, 2010, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143206.htm; Khaled Wassef, “Al Qaeda’s new No. 1 in Yemen is no lackey,” CBS News, June 17, 2015, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/aqap-chief-qassem-al-rimi-is-no-lackey-to-fill-in-for-nasir-al-wuhayshi-killed-in-us-airstrike/; Jane Onyanga-Omara, “Al-Qaeda second-in-command killed in U.S. airstrike,” USA Today, June 17, 2015, http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/06/16/al-qaeda-says-leader-killed/28796037/. Wuhayshi was responsible for directing AQAP’s entire program, as well as overseeing all of its individual branches. According to a classified U.S. State Department cable published by WikiLeaks, Wuhayshi’s duties specifically included “approving targets, recruiting new members, allocating resources to training and attack planning, and tasking others to carry out attacks.”“Public Library of US Diplomacy: Instruction for USUN to Request UN 1267 Listing of Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and Top Leaders,” January 12, 2010, http://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/10STATE2607_a.html/.
Military branch
The group’s military branch plans all of AQAP’s violent attacks, such as bomb and suicide missions, as well as guerilla attacks against the Yemeni government and military. It also organizes AQAP’s kidnapping operations and robberies. Crucial to AQAP’s military branch was its chief bomb maker, Ibrahim al-Asiri. Asiri was responsible for AQAP’s most high-profile bombing attempts, including the “Christmas Day Bomber” attempt in 2009 and the “Times Square Bomber” attempt in 2010. He was reportedly killed in a U.S. drone strike in late 2017.David Martin, “U.S. officials confident drone strike killed chief al Qaeda bomb maker,” CBS News, August 20, 2018, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ibrahim-al-asiri-chief-al-qaeda-bomb-maker-killed-in-u-s-drone-strike/; Samuel Chamberlain, “Al Qaeda bomb maker killed in Yemen drone strike last year, US official confirms,” Fox News, August 20, 2018, http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/08/20/al-qaeda-bomb-maker-killed-in-us-drone-strike-in-yemen-official-says.html. U.N. experts consider his death a serious setback to AQAP’s operational capabilities.U.N. Security Council, “Twenty-second report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant to resolution 2368 (2017) concerning ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities,” July 27, 2018, http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2018/705&referer=/english/&Lang=E. In 2018, AQAP appointed several regional leaders as well as a new “military commander,” a lesser-known jihadist called Ammar al-San’ani.Thomas Joscelyn, “Analysis: AQAP remains under pressure,” Long War Journal, May 26, 2018, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2018/05/analysis-aqap-remains-under-pressure.php.
Propaganda branch
AQAP relies heavily on its propaganda branch to attract recruits and build its base of support. This branch is also responsible for outreach beyond AQAP’s base in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. One of AQAP’s most notorious recruiters is Anwar al-Awlaki, who directed the “Christmas Day Bomber” in 2009Peter Finn, “Al-Awlaki Directed Christmas ‘Underwear Bomber’ Plot, Justice Department Memo Says,” Washington Post, February 10, 2012, http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/al-awlaki-directed-christmas-underwear-bomber-plot-justice-department-memo-says/2012/02/10/gIQArDOt4Q_story.html. and was linked to the Fort Hood shooter in 2009Larry Shaughnessy, “Hasan’s e-mail exchange with al-Awlaki; Islam, money and matchmaking,” CNN, July 20, 2012, http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/20/hasans-e-mail-exchange-with-al-awlaki-islam-money-and-matchmaking/. and the “Times Square Bomber” in 2010.Scott Shane and Mark Mazzetti, “Times Sq. Bomber Is Linked to Militant Cleric,” New York Times, May 6, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/07/world/middleeast/07awlaki-.html. AQAP has a media channel entitled “al-Malahem,” which has been called AQAP’s “official propaganda arm.”Thomas Joscelyn, “AQAP seeks to capitalize on anti-Israeli sentiment in new English-language magazine,” Long War Journal, August 17, 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/08/aqap_seeks_to_capita.php. Al-Malahem publishes a bi-monthly magazine in Arabic directed at its Yemeni audience, as well as an English-language periodical called Inspire directed at its Western audience.Thomas Joscelyn, “AQAP seeks to capitalize on anti-Israeli sentiment in new English-language magazine,” Long War Journal, August 17, 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/08/aqap_seeks_to_capita.php.
AQAP also publishes al-Masra, a digital newsletter that is released several times per month. Though al-Masra is produced by AQAP, it includes news updates on the entire al-Qaeda network. For recruitment purposes, al-Masra also provides al-Qaeda’s take on high-profile political developments in Western countries.William Watkison, “Al-Qaeda has used the Alton Sterling police shooting in latest magazine, say SITE,” International Business Times, July 8, 2016, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/al-qaeda-uses-alton-sterling-police-shooting-latest-magazine-say-site-1569533?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rss&utm_content=/rss/yahoous/news&yptr=yahoo;
Thomas Joscelyn, “Did al Qaeda exchange former Pakistani army chief’s son for Zawahiri’s daughters?,” Long War Journal, September 2, 2016, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/09/did-al-qaeda-exchange-former-pakistani-army-chiefs-son-for-zawahiris-daughters.php.
According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), in December 2017, the United States and its allies repeatedly targeted AQAP’s propaganda officials in counterterrorism operations, disrupting and reducing the group’s propaganda production capabilities. For example, al-Malahem lost its main propagandist, Abu Hajar al-Makki, in an airstrike in 2017, and al-Masra was unable to maintain its ability to produce three publications per month.Thomas Joscelyn, “Analysis: AQAP remains under pressure,” Long War Journal, May 26, 2018, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2018/05/analysis-aqap-remains-under-pressure.php. In an attempt to revitalize AQAP’s media operations, al-Badr Media Foundation announced its presence online in May 2018. The media group aims to refute so-called rumors about AQAP—in particular those perpetuated by Western and Arab media, incite Muslims to join their cause, and increase “security awareness” among the group. On May 24, al-Badr released its first publication via Telegram, a collection of statements and tips on how to avoid detection by U.S. drones and surveillance measures.Thomas Joscelyn, “Analysis: AQAP remains under pressure,” Long War Journal, May 26, 2018, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2018/05/analysis-aqap-remains-under-pressure.php.
Moreover, AQAP senior leader Khalid Batarfi, a prominent spokesperson, appears to have taken over the group’s propaganda operations to strengthen AQAP’s global portfolio.Thomas Joscelyn, “Analysis: AQAP remains under pressure,” Long War Journal, May 26, 2018, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2018/05/analysis-aqap-remains-under-pressure.php. On February 23, 2020, following the death of former AQAP leader Qasim al-Raymi in a U.S. drone strike, AQAP confirmed that Batarfi was the group’s new leader.“Al-Qaida Confirms Death of AQAP Leader,” Voice of America, February 23, 2020, https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/al-qaida-confirms-death-aqap-leader. On October 2, it was alleged that Batarfi turned himself into Yemeni forces following a Saudi-led raid in al-Mahrah.“Pro-ISIS Telegram Channel Alleges Al-Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Leader Khalid Batarfi Turned Himself In To Yemeni Forces In Al-Mahrah During Raid That Killed Two Key Al-Qaeda Commanders,” The Middle East Media Research Institute, October 7, 2020, https://www.memri.org/jttm/pro-isis-telegram-channel-alleges-al-qaeda-arabian-peninsula-aqap-leader-khalid-batarfi-turned; “Gulf of Aden Security Review,” Critical Threats, October 5, 2020, https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-october-5-2020#_edn4528c5682c5f4a0d107d760023177f711.
Religious branch
AQAP’s religious branch was headed by senior cleric and former Guantanamo detainee Ibrahim al-Rubaish. As “mufti” of AQAP, Rubaish carried the authority within AQAP to issue fatwas (religious rulings). Rubaish also released public statements in response to prominent religious clerics from around the world in order to advocate for AQAP’s behavior and seek to justify its violent ideology.“AQAP Officials Nadhari and Rubeish Denounce Slandering of Scholars,” SITE, July 7, 2014, http://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Multimedia/aqap-officials-nadhari-and-rubeish-denounce-slandering-of-scholars.html; “AQAP Ideologue Criticizes Latest Speech by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia,” SITE, August 26, 2013, http://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Statements/aqap-ideologue-criticizes-latest-speech-by-king-abdullah-of-saudi-arabia.html; “AQAP Official Asks Scholar to Reconsider Fatwa Denouncing Group,” SITE, October 22, 2012, http://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-official-asks-scholar-to-reconsider-fatwa-denouncing-group.html. In this way, AQAP’s religious branch serves as an extension of its propaganda branch. As AQAP anticipates the eventual institution of sharia (Islamic law), the group also maintains a designated religious expert. On April 13, 2015, AQAP confirmed that Rubaish was killed in a U.S. airstrike near the southern coastal city of Mukalla.“Targeting Al-Qaeda in Yemen,” Soufan Group, April 16, 2015, http://soufangroup.com/tsg-intelbrief-targeting-al-qaeda-in-yemen; Bill Roggio and Thomas Joscelyn, “AQAP announces death of sharia official in US drone strike,” Long War Journal, April 14, 2015, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/04/aqap-announces-death-of-sharia-official-in-us-drone-strike.php. Nearly two years later, AQAP’s emir Qasim al-Raymi appointed Abdullah Mubarak, a Yemeni jihadist, as AQAP’s “new sharia official.”Thomas Joscelyn, “Analysis: AQAP remains under pressure,” Long War Journal, May 26, 2018, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2018/05/analysis-aqap-remains-under-pressure.php.
Financing:
According to the U.S. State Department, AQAP’s funding comes primarily from “theft, robberies, oil and gas revenue, kidnap-for-ransom operations, and donations from like-minded supporters.”“Country Report on Terrorism 2017,” U.S. Department of State, accessed October 25, 2018, https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2017/282850.htm.
In a 2012 letter to Algerian allies, AQAP founder Nasir al-Wuhayshi wrote that “most of the battle costs, if not all, were paid for through the spoils. Almost half the spoils [for a year-long operation in Yemen] came from hostages.” Wuhayshi then called kidnapping “an easy spoil, which I may describe as a profitable trade and a precious treasure.”Rukmini Kalamachi, “Yemen Terror Boss Left Blueprint for Waging Jihad,” Associated Press, August 9, 2013, http://www.ap.org/Content/AP-In-The-News/2013/Yemen-terror-boss-left-blueprint-for-waging-jihad. Between 2011 and 2013, AQAP received approximately $30 million in ransom payments.Yaya J. Fanusie, Alex Entz, “Terror Finance Briefing Book” Foundation for Defense of Democracies, July 2017, https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/defenddemocracy/uploads/documents/CSIF_TFBB_AQAP_web.pdf.
In addition to taking hostages, AQAP relies heavily on heists and armed robberies. In August 2009, WikiLeaks revealed that suspected AQAP members stole an estimated $500,000 in a single heist.“09SANAA1632, AQAP Lifts $500K in Aden Heist?” WikiLeaks, September 2, 2009, http://wikileaks.org/cable/2009/09/09SANAA1632.html. There have also been reports of AQAP partaking in gun and drug smuggling, as well as local sex trafficking through forced marriages.Yaya J. Fanusie, Alex Entz, “Terror Finance Briefing Book” Foundation for Defense of Democracies, July 2017, https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/defenddemocracy/uploads/documents/CSIF_TFBB_AQAP_web.pdf. According to Yemeni analyst Ahmad Abd Allah al-Sufi, the group has trafficked opium.Barak Barfi, “Yemen on the Brink? The Resurgence of Al Qaeda in Yemen,” New America Foundation, January 2010, 2, http://www.newamerica.net/sites/newamerica.net/files/policydocs/Barfi.pdf.
AQAP held Yemen’s third-largest port from April 2015 to April 2016, which allegedly generated millions of dollars for the group. The southeastern Yemeni port city of Mukalla purportedly housed 1,000 AQAP fighters, who controlled nearly 375 miles of the coastline. According to Yemeni officials and local tribal leaders, AQAP fighters patrolled the waters off its controlled coast and imposed taxes and tariffs on passing ships.Yara Bayoumy, Noah Browning, Mohammed Ghobari, “How Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen has made al Qaeda stronger – and richer,” Reuters, April 8, 2016, http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/yemen-aqap/. In this way, the terrorist group has reportedly generated between another two to five million a day from its port revenue.Yara Bayoumy, Noah Browning, Mohammed Ghobari, “How Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen has made al Qaeda stronger – and richer,” Reuters, April 8, 2016, http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/yemen-aqap/. The Mukalla port, which has since been seized by forces from the United Arab Emirates, also reportedly functions as a hub for smuggling fuel.Yara Bayoumy, Noah Browning, Mohammed Ghobari, “How Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen has made al Qaeda stronger – and richer,” Reuters, April 8, 2016, http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/yemen-aqap/.
AQAP has stolen from numerous banks across Yemen. While AQAP held Mukalla, the militants looted the city’s central bank branch, netting an estimated $100 million.Yaya J. Fanusie, Alex Entz, “Terror Finance Briefing Book” Foundation for Defense of Democracies, July 2017, https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/defenddemocracy/uploads/documents/CSIF_TFBB_AQAP_web.pdf; Michael Horton, “Fighting the Long War: The Evolution of al-Qa`ida in the Arabian Peninsula,” CTC Sentinal: Volume 10/Issue 1, January 2017, https://ctc.usma.edu/fighting-the-long-war-the-evolution-of-al-qaida-in-the-arabian-peninsula/. According to Yemeni security officials, the looting represented AQAP’s “biggest financial gain to date” and was “enough to fund them at the level they have been operating at for at least another 10 years.”Yara Bayoumy, Noah Browning, and Mohammed Ghobari, “How Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen made al Qaeda stronger – and richer,” Reuters, April 8, 2016, http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/yemen-aqap/. This access to additional sources of revenue discontinued when Yemeni government forces retook control of Mukalla in April 2016.“Country Report on Terrorism 2017,” U.S. Department of State, accessed October 25, 2018, https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2017/282850.htm.
As a result of AQAP’s violent operations, the group is largely self-funded.“Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP),” Australian National Security, accessed January 28, 2015, http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/Listedterroristorganisations/Pages/Al-QaidaintheArabianPeninsulaAQAP.aspx. However, another source of AQAP funding is donations from fraudulent charitiesYaya J. Fanusie, Alex Entz, “Terror Finance Briefing Book” Foundation for Defense of Democracies, July 2017, https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/defenddemocracy/uploads/documents/CSIF_TFBB_AQAP_web.pdf. and “like-minded supporters,”“Country Report on Terrorism 2013,” U.S. Department of State, April 2014, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2013/224829.htm. most of whom are reportedly Saudi nationals.Barak Barfi, “Yemen on the Brink? The Resurgence of Al Qaeda in Yemen,” New America Foundation, January 2010, 2, http://www.newamerica.net/sites/newamerica.net/files/policydocs/Barfi.pdf.
Recruitment:
AQAP has turned to print, digital, and social media to bolster recruitment.
In 2010, AQAP launched an English online magazine, Inspire, to reach Western sympathizers and potential recruits. Inspire answers questions about AQAP and its mission and how to support them, from building homemade bombs to calls for lone wolf attacks in the United States. Analyst Gregory Johnsen has said that Inspire helps AQAP “reach, influence and inspire other like-minded individuals in the west. No longer do these individuals need to travel to Yemen or read Arabic in order to take instructions from AQAP. Now they can just download and read the magazine in English.”Michelle Shephard, “Al Qaeda branch inspired to launch English magazine,” Toronto Star, June 29, 2010, http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2010/06/29/al_qaeda_branch_inspired_to_launch_english_magazine.html.
Inspire’s first issue in July 2010 included an article titled, “Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom,” which described how to make a bomb using everyday items.Lee Keath, “Pressure cooker bombs used in past by militants,” Associated Press, April 16, 2013, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/pressure-cooker-bombs-used-past-militants; Richard Spencer, “Al-Qaeda newspaper: Make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom,” Telegraph [U.K.], July 1, 2010, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/7865978/Al-Qaeda-newspaper-Make-a-bomb-in-the-kitchen-of-your-mom.html. The August 2014 issue contained a nine-page guide on how to make car bombs, and suggested terror targets in the United Kingdom and the United States.Josie Ensor, “Al-Qaeda manual encourages attacks on high street stores in UK,” Telegraph (London), August 29, 2014, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/11062765/Al-Qaeda-manual-encourages-attacks-on-high-street-stores-in-UK.html. Its December 2014 issue featured instructions on how to make a bomb that could evade airport security. The July 2017 issue elaborated on targeting public transportation as well as train derailing operations. It also analyzed recent lone jihad operations in Western countries—such as the 2016 Nice attack in France that killed 86 people—and referenced lessons learned. AQAP also highlighted these attacks in a series of five publications called “Inspire Guide.”“New release from al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula: “Inspire Guide #5: The British Parliament Operation in London”.” Jihadology, April 7, 2017, https://jihadology.net/2017/04/07/new-release-from-al-qaidah-in-the-arabian-peninsula-inspire-guide-5-the-british-parliament-operation-in-london/; “Inspire Magazine,” Jihadology, accessed November 7, 2018, https://jihadology.net/category/inspire-magazine/. In May 2017, AQAP released a video message of Qasim al-Raymi encouraging lone wolf attacks in the West—the first using the “Inspire Address” banner.“New video message from al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula’s Shaykh Qāsim al-Raymī: ‘An Inspire Address #1: A Lone Mujāhid or An Army By Itself’,” Jihadology, May 7, 2017, https://jihadology.net/2017/05/07/new-video-message-from-al-qaidah-in-the-arabian-peninsulas-shaykh-qasim-al-raymi-an-inspire-address-1-a-lone-mujahid-or-an-army-by-itself/.
In 2012, AQAP released a recruitment guide called Expectations Full, primarily written by Samir Khan, the late editor of Inspire. The guide calls on potential Western-based recruits to forgo traveling to the region and requests they instead target America.Paul Cruickshank and Adam Levine, “Wage Jihad at Home, Not in Yemen, Al Qaeda Urges Recruits,” CNN Security Clearance, May 16, 2012, http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/16/wage-jihad-at-home-not-in-yemen-al-qaeda-urges-recruits/. According to the guide, “attacking the enemy in their backyard” is one of the most helpful missions recruits can undertake, even more than fighting together with AQAP in Yemen.Paul Cruickshank and Adam Levine, “Wage Jihad at Home, Not in Yemen, Al Qaeda Urges Recruits,” CNN Security Clearance, May 16, 2012, http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/16/wage-jihad-at-home-not-in-yemen-al-qaeda-urges-recruits/.
AQAP turned to social media in 2012, posting messages on jihadist websites and forums to attract western recruits. One Arabic-language message on the Shumukh and al-Fidaa jihadist forums, posted by a user claiming to be a member of AQAP’s military committee, calls on recruits to launch suicide missions in their home countries. According to the post, “individual jihad or the so-called lone wolf has become popular.”Paul Cruickshank, “Al Qaeda in Yemen Advertises for Western Recruits,” CNN, June 11, 2012, http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/11/world/meast/yemen-al-qaeda/. The messages provide email addresses for recruits to contact AQAP.
In recent years, AQAP has continued to exploit the opportunities for recruitment provided by social media sites. On Twitter, for example, as soon as an AQAP account is shut down, another emerges almost immediately, typically using a new name (“handle”) with one character amended. In November 2014, AQAP even launched its own “AMA” (Ask Me Anything) Twitter account, providing official answers to questions such as “Why haven’t there been further AQAP attacks inside the US? Why don’t you move the war from Yemen to US soil?” The job of resolving such queries from prospective jihadists falls to Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi, the AQAP senior official who claimed responsibility for the Charlie Hebdo attack in January 2015.Jeremy Scahill, “AQAP Develops Its Own Version Of Reddit’s AMA and Twitter’s Blue Checkmark Verification,” Intercept, January 23, 2015, https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/01/23/aqap-develops-version-reddits-ama-twitters-blue-checkmark-verification/; “Al Qaida in Yemen uses video to claim responsibility for Charlie Hebdo attack,” Guardian (London), January 14, 2015, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/14/al-qaida-claims-responsibility-charlie-hebdo-attack-paris.
According to one spy who infiltrated AQAP, the group is increasingly demanding that prospective recruits coming to Yemen, Oman, Syria, and other Middle Eastern states have clean passports and clean names. Anyone who is suspected of being subject to government surveillance is excluded from the recruitment net.Paul Cruickshank and Barbara Starr, “U.S. working assumption: AQAP ordered Said Kouachi to carry out an attack,” CNN, January 11, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/11/europe/said-koauchi-al-qaeda-orders/.
Since ISIS established its own affiliate branch in Yemen in November 2014, AQAP and ISIS have competed for recruits and influence, each seeking to dominate the Salafi-jihadist movement in Yemen.“The Islamic State Will Linger in Yemen,” Stratfor, March 14, 2016, https://www.stratfor.com/image/islamic-state-will-linger-yemen;
Katherine Zimmerman and Jon Diamond, “Challenging the Yemeni State: ISIS in Aden and Al Mukalla,” Critical Threats, June 9, 2016, http://www.criticalthreats.org/yemen/zimmerman-diamond-challenging-yemeni-state-isis-in-aden-al-mukalla-june-9-2016. According to Yemeni officials, a “real competition” developed between the groups in 2015, despite the fact that AQAP supporters numbered in the hundreds and ISIS supporters only in the dozens.Brian Todd, “ISIS Gaining Ground in Yemen, Competing With Al Qaeda,” CNN, January 22, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/21/politics/isis-gaining-ground-in-yemen/. Some AQAP cells have reportedly switched allegiance to ISIS due to factors such as ISIS's global reputation for victory and a higher pay rate.Katherine Zimmerman and Jon Diamond, “Challenging the Yemeni State: ISIS in Aden and Al Mukalla,” Critical Threats, June 9, 2016, http://www.criticalthreats.org/yemen/zimmerman-diamond-challenging-yemeni-state-isis-in-aden-al-mukalla-june-9-2016.
Since the start of 2015, AQAP has been seizing territory throughout southern Yemen and providing public services to the local population. As a result of the Yemeni insurgency, many of the southern regions’ security forces have left to fight alongside the coalition forces against the Houthi rebels in the north. AQAP has been attempting to fill the political vacuum to reportedly gain the trust of the southern population. In late March 2015, AQAP unveiled a new well in Yemen’s southern, arid Hadramaut region. According to Middle East analyst Thomas Joscelyn, AQAP attempts to embed itself in the local population as opposed to gaining their submission through brutal violence, as ISIS has done in its strongholds in Iraq and Syria.Alessandria Masi, “Al Qaeda Winning Hearts and Minds Over ISIS In Yemen With Social Services,” International Business Times, April, 7, 2016, http://www.ibtimes.com/al-qaeda-winning-hearts-minds-over-isis-yemen-social-services-2346835;
Katharine Zimmerman, “AQAP: A Resurgent Threat,” Combating Terrorism Center, September 11, 2015, https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/aqap-a-resurgent-threat. AQAP has reportedly constructed bridges, dug wells, built roads, and provided humanitarian assistance throughout the southern region and has highlighted these efforts on its social media accounts and in its Arabic-language propaganda magazine, al-Masra.Alessandria Masi, “Al Qaeda Winning Hearts and Minds Over ISIS In Yemen With Social Services,” International Business Times, April, 7, 2016, http://www.ibtimes.com/al-qaeda-winning-hearts-minds-over-isis-yemen-social-services-2346835. According to Jamestown Foundation analyst Michael Horton, AQAP’s “more covert strategy” has enabled it “to expand its ties to local communities and to further enmesh itself within some forces battling the Houthis and their allies.”Michael Horton, “Fighting the Long War: The Evolution of al-Qa`ida in the Arabian Peninsula,” CTC Sentinal: Volume 10/Issue 1, January 2017, https://ctc.usma.edu/fighting-the-long-war-the-evolution-of-al-qaida-in-the-arabian-peninsula/. Nonetheless, AQAP has also resorted to cash payments in exchange for support after the it seized control of Mukalla in April 2015.Michael Horton, “Fighting the Long War: The Evolution of al-Qa`ida in the Arabian Peninsula,” CTC Sentinal: Volume 10/Issue 1, January 2017, https://ctc.usma.edu/fighting-the-long-war-the-evolution-of-al-qaida-in-the-arabian-peninsula/.
According to the U.N. experts, AQAP is estimated to have between 6,000 and 7,000 fighters in Yemen, representing an increase from U.S. estimates in 2017 of “the low thousands.”U.N. Security Council, “Twenty-second report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant to resolution 2368 (2017) concerning ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities,” July 27, 2018, http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2018/705&referer=/english/&Lang=E; “Country Report on Terrorism 2017,” U.S. Department of State, accessed October 25, 2018, https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2017/282850.htm. Dr. Gregory Johnsen, member of the U.N. Security Council’s Panel of Experts on Yemen, notes that while the latest membership figures are accurate, they can be misleading. Even though AQAP’s domestic insurgency has recorded an influx of recruits, the terror group has not increased as a threat to the West. He stated: “Contrary to the picture painted by the numbers, AQAP is the weakest it has ever been. Decimated by drone strikes and challenged by rivals, its international terrorist side is a shadow of its former self. Only its domestic insurgency side—bolstered by Yemen’s messy war—is growing.”Gregory D. Johnsen, “The two faces of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula,” War on the Rocks, October 11, 2018, https://warontherocks.com/2018/10/the-two-faces-of-al-qaeda-in-the-arabian-peninsula/.
Training:
AQAP’s primary stronghold is located in the al-Mahfad area of the Abyan Province in southern Yemen.Bill Roggio and Oren Adaki, “US drone strike hits AQAP training camp in southern Yemen,” Long War Journal, April 1, 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/04/us_drone_strike_kill_25.php;
Mohammed al Qalisi and Taimur Khan, “Coalition in new assault on Al Qaeda in Yemen,” National (Dubai), April 23, 2016, http://www.thenational.ae/world/middle-east/coalition-in-new-assault-on-al-qaeda-in-yemen;
Saeed Al-Batati, Kareem Fahim, and Eric Schmitt, “Yemeni Troops, backed by United Arab Emirates, Take City From Al Qaeda,” New York Times, April 24, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/25/world/middleeast/yemeni-troops-backed-by-united-arab-emirates-take-city-from-al-qaeda.html. In May 2014, a Yemeni official remarked that AQAP training camps were the “most active” in the al-Mahfad region.Mohammed Mukhashaf, “Yemeni army kills 13 al Qaeda fighters, including one Uzbek,” Reuters, May 1, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/01/us-yemen-army-idUSBREA400MY20140501. AQAP training camps also operate in the governorates of Shabwa, Hadramawt, and Marib.“Profile: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula,” BBC News, last modified September 11, 2012, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-11483095.
On July 14, 2016, AQAP released a video showing its so-called special forces training at the Hamza al Zinjibari training camp in southern Yemen. The video depicts AQAP fighters conducting weapons training, physical workouts, live fire scenarios, and martial arts training. Senior AQAP member and former Guantanamo Bay detainee Ibrahim al-Qosi was highlighted in the film stating “thousands of” AQAP fighters have been trained in these types of camps, which has “had a clear impact in different jihadi fronts.”Bill Roggio and Caleb Weiss, “AQAP details ‘special forces’ training camp,” Long War Journal, July 14, 2016, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/07/aqap-details-special-forces-training-camp.php. The video also exhibits the militants’ abilities to conduct assaults and kidnappings using SUVs and motorcycles.
Said Kouachi, one of the perpetrators of the January 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo's offices in Paris, trained with AQAP in Yemen between 2009 and 2011.David Gauthier-Villars, Noemie Bisserbe, and Julian E. Barnes, “Suspect in Charlie Hebdo Attack was Trained in Yemen,” Wall Street Journal, January 8, 2015, http://www.wsj.com/articles/suspect-in-paris-massacre-was-trained-in-yemen-1420773315. According to a senior Yemeni security official, Kouachi trained in and around Dammaj, a town in northwest Yemen that is home to the country’s largest Salafist school.Maria abi-Habib, Margaret Coker, and Hakim Almasmari, “Al Qaeda in Yemen Claims Responsibility for Charlie Hebdo Attack,” Wall Street Journal, January 14, 2015, http://www.wsj.com/articles/yemens-al-qaeda-branch-claims-responsibility-for-charlie-hebdo-attack-1421231389. Kouachi is believed to have trained in camps in the surrounding area in which hundreds of foreigners would train in “unmonitored… AQAP-controlled areas.”Maria abi-Habib, Margaret Coker, and Hakim Almasmari, “Al Qaeda in Yemen Claims Responsibility for Charlie Hebdo Attack,” Wall Street Journal, January 14, 2015, http://www.wsj.com/articles/yemens-al-qaeda-branch-claims-responsibility-for-charlie-hebdo-attack-1421231389.
AQAP has also disseminated training guides amongst recruits and sympathizers. AQAP’s largest guide, the “Encyclopedia of Jihad,”Vikram Dodd, “Islamic cleric had terror handbook, court told,” Guardian (London), January 11, 2006, http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/jan/12/terrorism.islam. is a collection of ‘textbooks’ that includes information on “making explosives; first aid; use of pistols, grenades and mines; espionage; security precautions; acts of sabotage; secure communication; brainwashing; reconnaissance; infiltration; how to attack; the history and design of tanks; physical fitness; use of compasses; how to read maps; and use of artillery guns, machine guns and armor-piercing weapons.”“Al-Qaida’s Online University: Jihad 101 for Would-be Terrorists,” Spiegel Online, August 17, 2006, http://www.spiegel.de/international/al-qaida-s-online-university-jihad-101-for-would-be-terrorists-a-432133.html. There are only 30 copies of the “Encyclopedia.” Trainees were required to write down the text as it was dictated to them. The “Encyclopedia” became available on the Internet, in Arabic, in 2003.“Al-Qaida’s Online University: Jihad 101 for Would-be Terrorists,” Spiegel Online, August 17, 2006, http://www.spiegel.de/international/al-qaida-s-online-university-jihad-101-for-would-be-terrorists-a-432133.html.
Key Leaders
History
Violent Activities
- December 1992: Bombs explode at a hotel in Aden, Yemen where U.S. troops had stayed before traveling to Somalia. Two Austrian tourists die in the attack.“Osama Bin Laden: A Chronology of His Political Life,” Frontline PBS, accessed January 18, 2015, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/etc/cron.html.
- Late 1990s-Early 2000s: The men who eventually create AQAP in 2009—Nasir al-Wuhayshi, Said al-Shihri, Qasim al-Raymi, and Mohamed al-Awfi—all travel to Afghanistan and spend time at al-Qaeda–sponsored training camps there.Gregory D. Johnsen, “A Profile of AQAP’s Upper Echelon,” CTC Sentinel 5, no. 7 (2012): 6-8. Al-Wuhayshi serves as Osama Bin Laden’s personal secretary in Afghanistan between 1998 until about late 2001, when the two are separated during the U.S.-led Battle of Tora Bora.Gregory D. Johnsen, “A Profile of AQAP’s Upper Echelon,” CTC Sentinel 5, no. 7 (2012): 7.
- October 12, 2000: Suicide bombers driving an inflatable raft packed with explosives ram into the U.S.S. Cole as it is mooring a U.S. Navy destroyer to a buoy in the Port of Aden, killing 17 U.S. service members and injuring at least 40. Both bombers are Yemenis, and six men are arrested in connection with the plot, including Saudi national Abdel Rahim al-Nashiri, who is reportedly al-Qaeda’s chief of naval operations in the Persian Gulf.“Suicide Bombers Attack USS Cole,” BBC, October 12, 2000, http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/12/newsid_4252000/4252400.stm.
- October 2002: Al-Qaeda reportedly carries out attacks on a French oil tanker in Yemen on October 6, killing one crewmember. On October 8, the group claims responsibility for attacking and killing two U.S. Marines on Faylaka Island in Kuwait.“Al-Qaida Timeline: Plots and Attacks,” NBC News, accessed January 18, 2015, http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4677978/ns/world_news-hunt_for_al_qaida/t/al-qaida-timeline-plots-attacks/#.VBtCEp3D-P8.
- May 2003: On May 12, al-Qaeda militants in Saudi Arabia attack Western housing compounds in Riyadh, killing 35 people.“Al-Qaida Timeline: Plots and Attacks,” NBC News, accessed January 18, 2015, http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4677978/ns/world_news-hunt_for_al_qaida/t/al-qaida-timeline-plots-attacks/#.VBtCEp3D-P8.
- November 8, 2003: Suicide bombers driving vehicles disguised as police cars attack another residential compound in Riyadh, killing 17 and injuring 122.“Al-Qaida Timeline: Plots and Attacks,” NBC News, accessed January 18, 2015, http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4677978/ns/world_news-hunt_for_al_qaida/t/al-qaida-timeline-plots-attacks/#.VBtCEp3D-P8.
- June 2004: Al-Qaeda militants kidnap and behead Paul Johnson, an American defense contractor for Lockheed Martin.Craig Whitlock, “Islamic Radicals Behead American in Saudi Arabia,” Washington Post, June 19, 2004, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52166-2004Jun18.html. Days after Johnson’s body is found dumped outside of Riyadh, Saudi security forces kill Abdulaziz al-Muqrin, who is—at the time—the purported leader of al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia and the kingdom’s most wanted man. Muqrin is thought to be behind the kidnapping and several other attacks, including the November 8, 2003 residential compound attack in Riyadh that kills 17, as well as the May 2004 attacks on the al-Khobar Petroleum Center and Oasis residential compound that leave 22 dead.“Terror Leader ‘Al-Qaeda Trained,’” BBC, June 1, 2004, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3765095.stm.
- December 2004: On December 6, al-Qaeda launches an attack against the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, killing 5 non-American employees. “Al-Qaeda-Linked Group Takes Credit for Saudi Attack,” CNN, December 7, 2004, http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/12/06/jeddah.attack/index.html. Then on December 29, militants attack Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior in Riyadh. Saudi forces kill seven of the assailants.“Al-Qaida Timeline: Plots and Attacks,” NBC News, accessed January 18, 2015, http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4677978/ns/world_news-hunt_for_al_qaida/t/al-qaida-timeline-plots-attacks/#.VBtCEp3D-P8.
- February 3, 2006: 23 alleged al-Qaeda militants in Yemen escape from prison, including Qasim al-Raymi and Nasir al-Wuhayshi, who becomes the leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula when it officially opens operations in Yemen in January 2009.Gregory D. Johnsen, “Tracking Yemen’s 23 Escaped Jihadi Operatives – Part 2,” Terrorism Monitor 5, no. 19, October 24, 2007, http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=4466#.VBxQ0Z3D-P8.
- July 2, 2007: A suicide bomber detonates himself at a tourist site in Maarib, Yemen, killing 7 Spaniards and two Yemenis.“Yemen Ups Security after Attack Kills 7 Tourists,” Asharq Al-Awsat, July 3, 2007, http://www.aawsat.net/2007/07/article55262234.
- January 19, 2008: Gunmen in Hadramout fire on a convoy of tourists, killing 2 Belgians and 2 Yemenis.Robert F. Worth, “2 Belgian Tourists Killed in Yemen Ambush,” New York Times, January 19, 2008, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/19/world/middleeast/19sana.html.
- March 18, 2008: Militants fire three mortar rounds at the U.S. embassy in Sanaa, missing and hitting a high school for girls next to it. The attack kills one security guard and wounds 18 people.“Yemen Attack Kills Guard, Injures 13 Girls,” NBC News, March 18, 2008, http://www.nbcnews.com/id/23687188/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/t/yemen-attack-kills-guard-injures-girls/#.U6YKzLHOddg.
- September 17, 2008: Militants from an al-Qaeda–affiliated group called Islamic Jihad disguise themselves as soldiers and detonate two car bombs outside of the U.S. embassy in Sanaa, killing 18.“Significant Attacks against U.S. Diplomatic Facilities and Personnel: 1998-2012,” U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, June 1, 2013, 27.
- March 16, 2009: A suicide bomber detonates himself in Yemen’s historic old city of Shibam, killing 4 South Korean tourists.“Al Qaeda Blamed for Yemen Attack,” CNN, March 16, 2009, http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/03/16/yemen.bombing.alqaeda/index.html?iref=24hours.
- August 27, 2009: Al-Qaeda operative Abdullah Asiri meets with Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, then Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs, ostensibly to turn himself in and repent for joining al-Qaeda. Instead, Asiri detonates a bomb that is hidden in his underwear, killing himself and injuring the Saudi minister.“Al-Qaeda Claims Saudi Prince Bomb,” BBC, August 30, 2009, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8229581.stm.
- November 5, 2009: Nidal Hasan, a U.S. Army psychiatrist who exchanged dozens of emails with U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, embarks on a shooting rampage at an army base in Fort Hood, Texas, killing 12 and wounding 31.Mariah Blake, “Internal Documents Reveal How the FBI Blew Fort Hood,” Mother Jones, August 27, 2013, http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/08/nidal-hasan-anwar-awlaki-emails-fbi-fort-hood; “Gunman Kills 12, Wounds 31 at Fort Hood,” NBC News, November 5, 2009, http://www.nbcnews.com/id/33678801/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/gunman-kills-wounds-fort-hood/#.U6dljbFCxdg.
- December 25, 2009: Nigerian citizen Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempts to detonate explosives hidden in his underwear aboard a Northwest Airlines flight travelling from Amsterdam to Detroit, but is subdued by passengers after setting his pants on fire. Abdulmutallab allegedly received training and explosives from AQAP in Yemen.Dan Eggen, Karen DeYoung, Spencer Hsu, “Plane Suspect Was Listed in Terror Database after Father Alerted U.S. Officials,” Washington Post, December 27, 2009, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/25/AR2009122501355.html.
- April 26, 2010: A suicide bomber targets the British ambassador’s convoy as it travels to the British embassy in Sanaa, narrowly missing the ambassador while killing himself and wounding two security guards.Hugh Macleod, “UK Ambassador in Yemen Escapes Assassination Attempt,” Guardian, April 26, 2010, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/apr/26/uk-ambassador-yemen-assassination-attempt.
- May 1, 2010: Faisal Shahzad, a naturalized American citizen from Pakistan who was allegedly inspired by Anwar al-Awlaki, attempts to detonate a car bomb in Times Square. The plot collapses when the explosives fail to detonate.Wilson, “Shahzad Gets Life Term for Times Square Bombing Attempt,” New York Times, October 5, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/nyregion/06shahzad.html;
Massimo Calabresi, “Times Square Bomber Shahzad Linked to Imam al-Awlaki,” Time, May 7, 2010, http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1987808,00.html. - June 20, 2010: Four gunmen break into the Yemeni intelligence headquarters in Aden, killing several security guards and freeing suspected al-Qaeda detainees. The attack leaves 11 people dead.Mohammed Mukhashaf, “Yemen Police, Militants Clash during Raid in Aden,” Reuters, June 25, 2010, http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/06/25/us-yemen-idUSTRE65O18R20100625.
- November 2010: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula attempts to mail bombs loaded in printer cartridges via UPS and FedEx to Jewish community centers in Chicago. The bombs make their way from Yemen to Britain and Dubai before a last minute tip from Saudi intelligence alerts officials in each country to the cargo and foils the plot.Spencer Ackerman, “Qaeda: Yeah, the Printer-bomb Plot Was Us,” Wired, November 6, 2010, http://www.wired.com/2010/11/qaeda-yeah-the-printer-bomb-plot-was-us/.
- March 2012: Militants abduct Saudi envoy Abdullah al-Khalidi in the Yemeni southern port city of Aden, demanding a ransom and the release of prisoners from Saudi jails.Kristin Deasy, “Abdullah Al-Khalidi, Saudi Diplomat, Abducted in Yemen,” Global Post, March 28, 2012, http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/saudi-arabia/120328/abdullah-al-khalidi-saudi-diplomat-abducted-ye.
- May 2012: The Central Intelligence Agency and foreign intelligence services foil an attempt by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to send a suicide bomber carrying an “experimental bomb aboard an airliner” travelling to the U.S.Scott Shane and Eric Schmitt, “Qaeda Plot to Attack Plane Foiled, U.S. Officials Say,” New York Times, May 7, 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/world/middleeast/us-says-terrorist-plot-to-attack-plane-foiled.html.
- May 21, 2012: A suicide bomber dressed in a Yemeni army uniform detonates himself during rehearsals for a military parade in Sanaa, killing 90 soldiers and injuring more than 200.Mohammed Ghobari and Tom Finn, “Suicide Bomber Kills 90 in Yemen, Al Qaeda Vows More Attacks,” Reuters, May 21, 2012, http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/21/us-yemen-suicidebomb-deathtoll-idUSBRE84K0O720120521.
- August 2013: Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri names AQAP leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi his deputy,Eli Lake, “Meet al Qaeda’s New General Manager: Nasser al-Wuhayshi,” Daily Beast, August 9, 2013, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/09/meet-al-qaeda-s-new-general-manager-nasser-al-wuhayshi.htm. and reportedly gives him “clear orders” to carry out an attack, prompting the U.S. to temporarily shut down its embassies and consulates in the Middle East and North Africa.Ellen Nakashima and Anne Gearan, “Al-Qaeda Leader Zawahri Is Said to Have Ordered Terrorist Attack; U.S. Citizens Urged to Leave Yemen,” Washington Post, August 5, 2013, http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/al-qaeda-leader-Zawahri-is-said-to-have-ordered-terrorist-attack/2013/08/05/9eb4799e-fe1b-11e2-bd97-676ec24f1f3f_story.html.
- December 16, 2013: After AQAP militants slam a vehicle packed with explosives into the hospital at the Yemeni Defense Ministry complex in Sanaa, a group of gunmen engage security forces in a shootout that leaves 52 people dead.Hakim Almasmari, “Militants Attack Hospital at Yemen’s Defense Ministry, Killing 52,” CNN, December 16, 2013, http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/05/world/meast/yemen-violence/. AQAP senior leader Qasim al-Raymi later apologizes for the attack, saying, “We offer our apologies and condolences to the families of the victims… We did not want your lost ones; we did not target them on purpose.”Yousuf Basil and Catherine E. Shoichet, “Al Qaeda: We’re Sorry about Yemen Hospital Attack,” CNN, December 22, 2013, http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/22/world/meast/yemen-al-qaeda-apology/.
- February 13, 2014: AQAP militants carry out an attack on the central prison in Sanaa, freeing 29 prisoners, including 19 suspected of affiliation with AQAP. A suicide bomber reportedly detonates a car outside the prison, followed by two units of fighters, one that engages security guards outside the prison, and another that battles with guards inside. At least 7 soldiers are killed in the attack.Bill Roggio, “AQAO Storms Prison in Yemen’s Capital, Frees Al Qaeda Operatives,” Long War Journal, February 13, 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/02/aqap_storms_prison_i.php#.
- April 8, 2014: Militants from AQAP attack a military checkpoint in Hadramout, Yemen, killing 8 soldiers.Oren Adaki, “AQAP Releases Videos and Pictures of Attack in Hadramout,” Long War Journal, September 9, 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2014/09/aqap_releases_video_and_pictur.php.
- April 24, 2014: Two suspected AQAP kidnappers attempt to abduct two Americans –one Special Operations commando and one CIA officer—from a barbershop in Sanaa. The Americans reportedly shoot and kill both suspects and flee in an SUV parked nearby. Shuaib Almosawa and Eric Schmitt, “2 Yemenis Shot by Americans are Linked to Qaeda Cell,” New York Times, May 10, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/11/world/middleeast/yemen-silent-on-disclosure-of-shooting-by-americans.html?_r=0.
- May 2014: On May 14, AQAP militants carry out simultaneous attacks in Azzan and Gol al Rayda, killing 10 soldiers.Oren Adaki, “23 Killed in Simultaneous AQAP Attacks in Shabwa,” Long War Journal, May 14, 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/05/23_killed_in_simulta.php. On May 23, al-Qaeda militants kill 12 Yemeni troops and wound 11 in southern Hadramout.“23 Killed After Al Qaeda Attacks in Southern Yemen,” CNN, May 24, 2014, http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/24/world/meast/yemen-al-qaeda-attack/.
- June 2014: On June 5, al-Qaeda militants kill at least 14 soldiers and government-allied tribesmen at an army checkpoint in southern Shabwa.“‘AQAP fighters’ Attack Yemen Army Checkpoint,” Al Jazeera English, June 5, 2014, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/06/fighters-attack-yemen-army-checkpoint-20146584520330658.html. On June 26, AQAP carries out simultaneous attacks in Seyoun. Militants reportedly kill three soldiers at Seyoun Airport, while a suicide car bomber detonates himself at the entrance of an army base, killing five Yemeni soldiers.Oren Adaki, “Twin AQAP Attacks Hit Hadramout Airport and Military Headquarters,” Long War Journal, June 30, 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2014/06/aqap_attacks_yemeni_airport_in.php.
- July 15, 2014: Suspected al-Qaeda members rob a post office and kill a police officer in Hadramout.“Gulf of Aden Security Review,” Critical Threats, July 16, 2014, http://www.criticalthreats.org/gulf-aden-security-review/gulf-aden-security-review-july-16-2014.
- August 2014: On August 7, AQAP tries to attack an army facility and briefly gains control over several government buildings. On August 8, alleged AQAP militants kidnap and kill 14 Yemeni soldiers.“Suspected Qaeda Gunmen Kidnap and Kill 14 Yemeni Soldiers,” Reuters, August 8, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/08/us-yemen-militants-idUSKBN0G825H20140808.
- September 1, 2014: AQAP executes three local men suspected of aiding U.S. drone strikes in Yemen’s Hadramout province.“Al Qaeda in Yemen Executes Three ‘Spies’ for Guiding Drone Strikes,” Reuters, September 1, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/01/us-yemen-security-spies-idUSKBN0GW2MJ20140901.
- September 1, 2014: AQAP kills 13 Yemeni soldiers and wounds 40 in an attack in Shabwa.Bassam Al-Khameri, “AQAP Kills 13 Soldiers, Wounds 40 in Shabwa,” Yemen Times, September 2, 2014, http://www.yementimes.com/en/1812/news/4271/AQAP-kills-13-soldiers-wounds-40-in-Shabwa.htm.
- September 25, 2014: AQAP executes a Yemeni intelligence officer and four other Yemeni officials.Oren Adaki, “AQAP Executes Yemeni Intelligence Director,” Long War Journal, September 26, 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2014/09/aqap_executes_yemeni_intellige.php.
- September 27, 2014: AQAP launches a rocket at the U.S. embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, wounding several guards.“Al Qaeda-linked militants in Yemen say fire rocket toward U.S. embassy,” Reuters, September 27, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/27/us-yemen-security-usa-idUSKCN0HM0IH20140927.
- September 28, 2014: An AQAP suicide bomber detonates a car bomb at a hospital-turned-Houthi base, killing 15. Five more die in an AQAP ambush in the south of Yemen.“Militants kill 20 in two separate Yemen attacks: sources,” Reuters, September 28, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/28/us-yemen-blast-idUSKCN0HN0OF20140928.
- September 29, 2014: AQAP claims credit for at least four attacks against the Yemeni military and Shiite rebels, killing at least 20.Oren Adaki, “AQAP Steps Up Attack Against Army, Houthis,” Long War Journal, September 29, 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2014/09/aqap_steps_up_attacks_against.php.
- October 1, 2014: AQAP conducts three attacks against the Yemeni military and Shiite rebels, killing at least four soldiers and wounding five.Oren Adaki, “AQAP Claims 3 Attacks in Shabwa and Sana’a,” Long War Journal, October 2, 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2014/10/aqap_claims_three_attacks_in_s.php.
- October 8, 2014: AQAP fighters attack security and government buildings in southern Yemen with guns and rocket-propelled grenades, killing at least four soldiers before they are forced to retreat.“Al Qaeda Attacks South Yemen Town of Al-Bayda, Four Soldiers Killed,” Reuters, October 8, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/08/us-yemen-security-attacks-idUSKCN0HX0KU20141008.
- October 9, 2014: Suicide bombers kills at least 67 people in two separate attacks. A suicide bomber detonates at a Houthi checkpoint in Sanaa, killing at least 47, including four children. A suicide car bombing and a gun attack on an army outpost in eastern Yemen kills at least 20 soldiers. AQAP does not immediately claim responsibility, but the bombings mirror past AQAP attacks.Mohammed Ghobari, “Suicide Bombings in Yemen Kill 67 after Premier Quits,” Reuters, October 9, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/09/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN0HY0FR20141009.
- October 11, 2014: An explosion near a military checkpoint in Yemen’s Hadramaout province kills two soldiers and injures four others. AQAP and its local wing, Ansar al-Sharia, are suspected.“Explosion Kills Two Soldiers in Yemen’s Hadramawt Region,” Reuters, October 11, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/11/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN0I00BV20141011.
- October 15: AQAP fighters storm the town of Odein, killing three soldiers. AQAP holds the town for nine hours before it withdraws.“Sunni Tribesmen and Houthi Fighters Clash in Yemen, 15 Dead,” Reuters, October 17, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/17/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN0I617R20141017.
- October 17, 2014: At least 15 are killed in fighting between Houthi rebels and Sunni Muslim tribesman in and around the Yemeni city of Ibb.“Sunni Tribesmen and Houthi Fighters Clash in Yemen, 15 Dead,” Reuters, October 17, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/17/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN0I617R20141017.
- December 3, 2014: AQAP militants detonate a car bomb outside of the Iranian ambassador’s residence in Yemen, killing three.Yara Bayoumy and Mohammed Ghobari, “Car bomb kills three outside Iran envoy’s residence in Yemen,” Reuters, December 3, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/03/us-yemen-blast-idUSKCN0JH0EW20141203.
- December 8, 2014: Five roadside bombs target Shiite Houthi fighters and wound several people in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. AQAP is believed to be behind the attacks.“Roadside Bombs Targeting Houthis Explode in Yemen’s Capital, Several Wounded,” Reuters, December 8, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/08/us-yemen-blasts-idUSKBN0JM0LF20141208.
- December 9, 2014: Two AQAP suicide bombers attempt to drive explosive-laden cars into a military compound in east Yemen, killing five soldiers.“Suicide Attacks Kill Five in Eastern Yemen Army Base- Sources,” Reuters, December 9, 2014, http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/12/09/uk-yemen-security-attack-idUKKBN0JN0GU20141209.
- December 16, 2014: AQAP launches attack in Radaa. Two simultaneous car bombs kill 31, including 20 schoolgirls.“Yemen Car Bomb Attack Kills 15 Children,” BBC, December 16, 2014, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30504641.
- December 24, 2014: AQAP calls for attacks against U.S. airliners in the 13th issue of its English-language magazine, Inspire.“Extremism and Terrorism,” Anti-Defamation League, December 24, 2014, http://blog.adl.org/extremism/aqap-al-qaeda-inspire-english-magazine-13.
- December 31, 2014: An AQAP bomb attack kills 26 people in a street celebration.“Blast Targets Houthi in Yemeni Capital,” Reuters, December 31, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/05/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN0KE09220150105.
- January 7, 2015: Said and Cherif Kouachi attack the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, killing 12. They claimed to act in the name of AQAP, according to witnesses.Holly Watt, “Terrorists Shouted They Were from Al-Qaeda in the Yemen Before Charlie Hebdo Attack,” Telegraph [U.K.], January 7, 2015, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11330636/Terrorists-shouted-they-were-from-al-Qaeda-in-the-Yemen-before-Charlie-Hebdo-attack.html. On January 14, AQAP officially claims responsibility for the attack. Maria Abi-Habib, Margaret Coker, and Hakim Almasmari, “Al Qaeda in Yemen Claims Responsibility for Charlie Hebdo Attack,” Wall Street Journal, January 14, 2015, http://www.wsj.com/articles/yemens-al-qaeda-branch-claims-responsibility-for-charlie-hebdo-attack-1421231389.
- January 7, 2015: A car bomb detonates outside a police college in Sanaa, killing 40 and wounding 71. AQAP is suspected.“Yemeni Police Arrest Six Suspects in Police College Bombing: TV,” Reuters, January 8, 2015, http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/08/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN0KH1X820150108.
- January 26, 2015: AQAP militants attack a military checkpoint in southern Yemen, killing one soldier and wounding two others.“Al Qaeda Militants Kill Yemeni Soldier in Southern Yemen- Official,” Reuters, January 26, 2015, http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/01/26/uk-yemens-militants-attacks-idUKKBN0KZ0VD20150126.
- February 12, 2015: AQAP fighters seize Yemeni army based located in Yemen’s southern province of Shabwa, killing an undetermined number of troops and imprisoning others.Mohammad Mukhashaf, “Al Qaeda fighters seize Yemen army base, U.N. warns of civil war,” Reuters, February 12, 2015, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN0LG0VE20150212.
- March 2, 2015: AQAP militants attack a Yemeni army base in Mahfad in the southwestern Abyan province, killing two soldiers.“Al Qaeda attacks Yemen army base, four dead: residents,” Reuters, March 9, 2015, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN0M50KJ20150309.
- April 2, 2015: AQAP militants seize the southern city of Mukalla, Yemen’s fifth largest city, and free 270 inmates from government security facilities. AQAP governs Mukalla for one year before being expelled.Katherine Zimmerman, “AQAP Expanding behind Yemen’s Frontlines,” Critical Threats, February 17, 2016, http://www.criticalthreats.org/yemen/zimmerman-aqap-expanding-behind-yemens-frontlines-february-17-2016;
Saeed al-Batati and K. Faheem, “Affiliate of Al Qaeda Seizes Major Yemeni City, Driving Out the Military,” New York Times, April 3, 2015, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/04/world/middleeast/al-qaeda-al-mukalla-yemen.html;
Thomas Joscelyn, “Arab coalition enters AQAP stronghold in port city of Mukalla, Yemen,” Long War Journal, April 25, 2016, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/04/arab-coalition-enters-aqap-stronghold-in-port-city-of-mukalla-yemen.php. - May 2015: AQAP militants seize control of al Shihr in Yemen’s southeastern region of Hadramawt.Katherine Zimmerman, “AQAP Expanding behind Yemen’s Frontlines,” Critical Threats, February 17, 2016, http://www.criticalthreats.org/yemen/zimmerman-aqap-expanding-behind-yemens-frontlines-february-17-2016.
- June 16, 2015: AQAP confirms that its leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi was killed in a U.S. drone strike.“AQAP Fast Facts,” CNN, September 1, 2017, href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/16/middleeast/aqap-fast-facts/index.html.
- December 2015: AQAP fighters take control of Ja’ar and Zinjibar in the southwestern region of Abyan.Katherine Zimmerman, “AQAP Expanding behind Yemen’s Frontlines,” Critical Threats, February 17, 2016, http://www.criticalthreats.org/yemen/zimmerman-aqap-expanding-behind-yemens-frontlines-february-17-2016.
- February 2016: AQAP militants seize five towns throughout Yemen’s southern provinces, including Azzan, Habban, Mahfad, Saqra, and Ahwar. On February 4, a U.S. airstrike kills AQAP senior member Jalal Belaidy and two others in the southwestern region of Abyan.Katherine Zimmerman, “AQAP Expanding behind Yemen’s Frontlines,” Critical Threats, February 17, 2016, http://www.criticalthreats.org/yemen/zimmerman-aqap-expanding-behind-yemens-frontlines-february-17-2016;
Ahmed Alwly, “Despite Arab, US attacks, AQAP still holding out in Yemen,” Al-Monitor, May 13, 2016, http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/05/yemen-al-qaeda-us-terrorism-hadi-mukalla-drones.html. - March 2016: U.S. airstrikes target major AQAP locations, including its intelligence center and a training camp.“Strikes kill at least 50 at Qaeda Yemen camp; medics, official,” Reuters, March 23, 2016, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-yemen-strike-idUSKCN0WO37I.
- April 2016: AQAP suffers territorial losses to UAE forces, including losing control of the group’s major port stronghold in Mukalla. On April 26, a U.S. airstrike kills AQAP chief financial officer Hossam al-Zanjibari in Yemen’s southwest region of Abyan.Ahmed Alwly, “Despite Arab, US attacks, AQAP still holding out in Yemen,” Al-Monitor, May 13, 2016, http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/05/yemen-al-qaeda-us-terrorism-hadi-mukalla-drones.html;
Thomas Joscelyn, “Arab coalition enters AQAP stronghold in port city of Mukalla, Yemen,” Long War Journal, April 25, 2016, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/04/arab-coalition-enters-aqap-stronghold-in-port-city-of-mukalla-yemen.php. - July 2016: U.S. airstrikes target AQAP throughout the month.Bill Roggio, “US targeted AQAP operatives in 4 airstrikes in July,” Long War Journal, August 2, 2016, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/08/us-targeted-aqap-operatives-in-4-airstrikes-in-july.php;
Ahmed Alwly, “Despite Arab, US attacks, AQAP still holding out in Yemen,” Al-Monitor, May 13, 2016, http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/05/yemen-al-qaeda-us-terrorism-hadi-mukalla-drones.html. - August 2016: AQAP targets Houthi rebels in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. On August 19, militants kill three Houthi officials in Sanaa. AQAP claims responsibility. The group is targeted by U.S. airstrikes later in the month.AQAP Claims killing Three Houthi Officials in “Unique Operation” in Sana’a,” Site Intelligence Group, August 19, 2016, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/index.php?option=com_customproperties&view=search&task=tag&tagId=232;
Bill Roggio, “US military kills 13 AQAP fighters in latest strikes in Yemen,” Long War Journal, September 8, 2016, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/09/us-military-kills-13-aqap-fighters-in-latest-strikes-in-yemen.php;
“Drone strikes kill 7 Qaeda suspects in Yemen: security sources,” Al Araabiya, August 24, 2016, http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/08/24/Drone-strikes-kill-7-ISIS-suspects-in-Yemen-says-security-sources.html. - September 2016: September 2016: AQAP targets Yemeni officials in southern Yemen. On September 1, AQAP militants kill a total of 31 Yemeni Security Belt Forces in Yemen’s southwest province of Abyan. On September 4, a U.S. airstrike kills six AQAP militants and wounds one more in southern Yemen.“AQAP Claims Killing 31 Security Belt Forces in Abyan, Attacks on Houthis,” Site Intelligence Group, September 1, 2016, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Statements/aqap-claims-killing-31-security-belt-forces-in-abyan-attackss-on-houthis.html;
Bill Roggio, “US military kills 13 AQAP fighters in latest strikes in Yemen,” Long War Journal, September 8, 2016, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/09/us-military-kills-13-aqap-fighters-in-latest-strikes-in-yemen.php. - November 8, 2016 - November 17, 2016: AQAP claims a series of near-daily attacks on Security Belt Forces (SBF) in Yemen’s Abyan governorate.AQAP Claims Near-Daily Attacks on Security Belt Forces in Abyan, Strikes on Houthis in al-Bayda’ and Ibb,” Site Intelligence Group, November 17, 2016, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-near-daily-attacks-on-security-belt-forces-in-abyan-strikes-on-houthis-in-al-bayda-and-ibb.html.
- January 2017 - February 2017: AQAP continues to attack Houthi and Saleh-aligned forces across the country, detonating at least two IEDs and using grad rockets to attack rebel positions.Gulf of Aden Security Review,” Critical Threats, February 27, 2017, https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-february-27-2017. A U.S. Navy SEAL is killed in a firefight between U.S. armed forces and AQAP militants in central Yemen on January 29.Eric Schmitt, “U.S. Commando Killed in Yemen in Trump’s First Counterterrorism Operation,” New York Times, January 29, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/29/world/middleeast/american-commando-killed-in-yemen-in-trumps-first-counterterror-operation.html?ref=world.
- March 31, 2017: AQAP claims responsibility for the SVBIED attack on a government building in Lahj, southern Yemen, which left 10 people dead, including four civilians.“Al-Qaeda claims suicide attack in south Yemen,” Middle East Eye, April 1, 2017, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/al-qaeda-claims-suicide-attack-south-yemen-1379466308.
- April 2017: Twenty U.S. airstrikes target AQAP militants early in the month, bringing the total number of airstrikes for 2017 to an unprecedented 75. Later in April, AQAP militants assassinate a Houthi commander in Yarim, northern Yemen.Bill Roggio, “US military hits AQAP with more than 20 airstrikes,” Long War Journal, April 4, 2017, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/04/us-military-hits-aqap-with-more-than-20-airstrikes.php;
“Gulf of Aden Security Review,” Critical Threats, April 11, 2017, https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-april-11-2017. - July 2, 2017: AQAP releases footage of six attacks on Houthi positions across the Bayda governorate.AQAP Video Shows Attacks on Houthi Positions in Six Areas in al-Bayda,’” Site Intelligence Group, July 2, 2016, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-video-shows-attacks-on-houthi-positions-in-six-areas-in-al-bayda.html.
- July 16, 2017: AQAP militants kill five government troops in an attack in the Shabwah governorate. This attack follows a series of raids on government checkpoints throughout Yemen.Yemen troops killed in suspected Qaeda attack: army,” Al-Monitor, July 16, 2017, http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/afp/2017/07/yemen-conflict-qaeda.html.
- July 18, 2017: AQAP carries out a suicide bombing on a Saudi-backed pro-Hadi military base in Shabwa governate’s Belhaf area.“AQAP Claims Suicide Bombing on Pro-Government Military Base in Shabwa’s Belhaf Area,” Site Intel Group, July 18, 2017, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-suicide-bombing-on-pro-government-military-base-in-shabwa-s-belhaf-area.html.
- August 8, 2017: AQAP carries out a suicide bomb attack on a Yemeni army camp in Abyan governorate. The terrorist group hit the camp with mortars two days prior.“AQAP Claims Suicide Bombing at Yemeni Army Camp in Abyan, Mortar Strike at Same Camp Two Days Prior,” Site Intel Group, August 8, 2017, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-suicide-bombing-at-yemeni-army-camp-in-abyan-mortar-strike-at-same-camp-two-days-prior.html.
- August 20, 2017: AQAP claims to have killed 25 Houthi fighters in clashes in Rada’a, Abyan governorate.“AQAP Reports Over 25 Houthis Killed in Clashes in Rada’a (al-Bayda’),” Site Intel Group, August 22, 2017, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-reports-over-25-houthis-killed-in-clashes-in-rada-a-al-bayda.html.
- August 26-29, 2017: AQAP claims responsibility for four attacks on Houthi fighters in al-Bayda governorate between August 26 and August 29.“AQAP Claims Four Attacks on Houthis in al-Bayda’ in Three-Day Period,” Site Intel Group, August 29, 2017, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-four-attacks-on-houthis-in-al-bayda-in-three-day-period.html.
- October 2017: AQAP carries out two bombings in Handramawt and attacks Houthi and UAE-backed Security Belt Forces in Abyan and al-Bayda on October 4. On October 7, AQAP conducts two separate car bombings targeting Security Belt Forces and rapid intervention forces in Abyan governorate. On October 23, AQAP carries out a raid on UAE-backed forces in Abyan governorate, as well as targeting Houthi fighters in al-Bayda.“AQAP Claims Bombings in Hadramawt, Attacking Houthis and SBF in Abyan and al-Bayda',” Site Intel Group, October 4, 2018, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-bombings-in-hadramawt-attacking-houthis-and-sbf-in-abyan-and-al-bayda.html; “AQAP Claims Two Car Bombings on SBF, Rapid Intervention Forces in Abyan,” Site Intel Group, October 7, 2017, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-two-car-bombings-on-sbf-rapid-intervention-forces-in-abyan.html; “AQAP Claims Suicide Raid on UAE-backed Yemeni Forces in Abyan, Attacks on SBF and Houthis,” Site Intel Group, October 23, 2017, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-suicide-raid-on-uae-backed-yemeni-forces-in-abyan-attacks-on-sbf-and-houthis.html.
- November 2017: AQAP carries out seven attacks on Security Belt Forces in Abyan governorate between November 15 and November 23 and five attacks on Houthi fighters in Ibb and al-Bayda’ governorates between November 18 and November 27, as well as again targeting Security Belt Forces in Abyan.“AQAP Concentrates Attacks on SBF in Abyan, Claims 7 Operations on Their Forces in 9 Days,” Site Intel Group, November 23, 2017, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-concentrates-attacks-on-sbf-in-abyan-claims-7-operations-on-their-forces-in-9-days.html; “AQAP Claims 5 Attacks on Houthis in al-Bayda' and Ibb, Strike on SBF in Abyan,” Site Intel Group, November 27, 2017, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-5-attacks-on-houthis-in-al-bayda-and-ibb-strike-on-sbf-in-abyan.html.
- December 2017: AQAP claims nine attacks in Abyan, al-Bayda, and Shabwa governorates between November 30 and December 20. On December 26, AQAP claims five attacks on Elite Forces, Houthi fighters, and Security Belt Forces in Hadramawt, al-Bayda, and Abyan governorates, respectively.“AQAP Releases Video of Bombing Houthis in Ibb, Claims Attacks in Abyan, al-Bayda', and Shabwa,” Site Intel Group, December 21, 2017, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-releases-video-of-bombing-houthis-in-ibb-claims-attacks-in-abyan-al-bayda-and-shabwa.html; “AQAP Claims Five Attacks on Elite Forces in Hadramawt, Houthis in al-Bayda’, SBF Commander in Abyan,” Site Intel Group, December 26, 2017, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-five-attacks-on-elite-forces-in-hadramawt-houthis-in-al-bayda-sbf-commander-in-abyan.html.
- January 2018: AQAP wounds 20 Yemeni fighters in a car bombing in Shabwa governorate and detonates two car bombs in al-Bayda targeting Houthi fighters on January 11. On January 22, AQAP targets Security Belt Forces, Houthis, and Elite forces in al-Bayda, Abyan, and Hadramawt governorates.“AQAP Claims Car Bomb Killing, Wounding 20 Elite Forces in Shabwa,” Site Intel Group, January 11, 2018, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-car-bomb-killing-wounding-20-elite-forces-in-shabwa.html; “AQAP Claims Killing Houthis in al-Bayda’, Releases Photos of Shabwa Car Bomb Aftermath,” Site Intel Group, January 11, 2018, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-killing-houthis-in-al-bayda-releases-photos-of-shabwa-car-bomb-aftermath.html; “AQAP Claims Explosive, Projectile Attacks in Abyan, al-Bayda’, Hadramawt,” Site Intel Groups, January 22, 2018, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-explosive-projectile-attacks-in-abyan-al-bayda-hadramawt.html.
- February 2018: On February 13, AQAP conducts a bombing and raid on a Houthi headquarters in al-Bayda governorate. AQAP also carries out four attacks between February 11 and February 19 using explosives, rockets, and “silenced weapons” in Abyan, Ibb, and Hadramawt governorates.“AQAP Claims Bombings and Raid on Houthi Targets in al-Bayda', Artillery Strike on SBF in Abya,” Site Intel Group, February 13, 2018, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-bombings-and-raid-on-houthi-targets-in-al-bayda-artillery-strike-on-sbf-in-abya.html; “AQAP Claims Four Attacks with Explosives, Rockets, and “Silenced Weapons” in Ibb, Abyan, and Hadramawt,” Site Intel Group, February 19, 2018, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-four-attacks-with-explosives-rockets-and-silenced-weapons-in-ibb-abyan-and-hadramawt.html.
- March 15, 2018: AQAP captures five Houthi fighters in a raid on Houthi position in Radaa, al-Bayda governorate.“AQAP Claims Raid on Houthi Position in Rada'a, Taking 5 POWs,” Site Intel Group, March 15, 2018, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-raid-on-houthi-position-in-rada-a-taking-5-pows.html.
- March 28, 2018: Twelve UAE-backed fighters are killed, including several who were beheaded, in Mukalla. No group claims responsibility but AQAP is suspected.“Yemen: What a Brutal Attack Says About Terrorism and Civil War,” Stratfor, March 29, 2018, https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/yemen-what-brutal-attack-says-about-terrorism-and-civil-war.
- April 11, 2018: AQAP detonates a car bomb in Handramawt killing 10 Houthi fighters.“AQAP Claims Car Bombing on Houthi Convoy in al-Bayda', Killing 10 Hadrami Elite in Hadramawt,” Site Intel Group, April 11, 2018, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-car-bombing-on-houthi-convoy-in-al-bayda-killing-10-hadrami-elite-in-hadramawt.html.
- April 23, 2018: AQAP releases a video of a raid on a UAE-backed Shabwani Elite forces barraks in Ataq, Shabwa governorate.“AQAP Video Shows Raid on UAE-backed Shabwani Elite Near Ataq,” Site Intel Group, April 23, 2018, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-video-shows-raid-on-uae-backed-shabwani-elite-near-ataq.html.
- May 13, 2018: AQAP claims five separate attacks on Houthi fighters and UAE-backed Security Belt Forces in al-Bayda and Abyan governorates.“AQAP Claims Attacks on Houthis, UAE-backed SBF in al-Bayda’ and Abyan,” Site Intel Group, May 31, 2018, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-attacks-on-houthis-uae-backed-sbf-in-al-bayda-and-abyan.html.
- May 29, 2018: AQAP releases footage of a rocket attack on a Houthi camp in Handramawt.“AQAP Video Features Rocket Attack on Elite Forces in Hadramawt,” Site Intel Group, May 29, 2018, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-video-features-rocket-attack-on-elite-forces-in-hadramawt.html.
- June 15, 2018: AQAP carries out a suicide bombing and raid on Security Belt Forces in Abyan Governorate.“AQAP Claims Suicide Bombing and Raid on SBF in Abyan, Bombing of Houthis in al-Bayda',” Site Intel Group, June 15, 2018, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-suicide-bombing-and-raid-on-sbf-in-abyan-bombing-of-houthis-in-al-bayda.html.
- June 26, 2018: AQAP bombs and ambushes UAE-backed forces in the Shabwa governorate.“AQAP Claims Bombing and Ambush on UAE-Backed Forces in Shabwa,” Site Intel Group, June 26, 2018, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-bombing-and-ambush-on-uae-backed-forces-in-shabwa.html.
- July 2, 2018 – July 11, 2018: AQAP claims it has killed 8 Houthis, including a commander, in the Bayda governorate over the past 10 days.“AQAP claims killing total of eight Houthis in al-Bayda’ in ten days,” Site Intel Group, July 11, 2018, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Statements/aqap-claims-killing-total-of-8-houthis-in-al-bayda-in-10-days.html.
- July 12, 2018: A recently formed pro-AQAP group has its first clashes with ISIS.“Pro-AQ Group Reports 1st Incident of Clashes Between IS and AQAP in Yemen,” Site Intel Group, July 12, 2018, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/pro-aq-group-reports-1st-incident-of-clashes-between-is-and-aqap-in-yemen.html.
- August 3, 2018: Suspected AQAP members attack a military base of newly recruited Yemeni troops in Abyan. The gunmen possessed rocket-propelled grenades. An unconfirmed number of soldiers are killed.“Suspected al-Qaida gunmen attack UAE-backed Yemeni military base,” Xinhua, August 3, 2018, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-08/03/c_137366443.htm.
- August 4, 2018: AQAP conducts a suicide bombing on Security Belt Forces in Abyan governorate.“AQAP Claims Car Bombing on UAE-backed Forces in Abyan,” Site Intel Group, August 4, 2018, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/aqap-claims-car-bombing-on-uae-backed-forces-in-abyan.html.
- February 13, 2019: Yemeni security forces strike a roadside bomb in Abyan province. Three personnel are killed and several others injured. The bomb was planted to target the newly recruited Yemeni troops backed by the UAE.“Roadside bomb kills 3 UAE-backed Yemeni security personnel,” Xinhua, February 13, 2019, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-02/13/c_137819012.htm.
- May 3, 2019: A roadside bomb planted by AQAP detonates in Hadramaut. The blast kills six civilians.“Six civilians killed in Yemen in suspected al Qaeda bombing,” Reuters, May 3, 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/six-civilians-killed-in-yemen-in-suspected-al-qaeda-bombing-idUSKCN1S91UD?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews.
- May 4, 2019: An ISIS militant detonates a bomb in Bayda province. The suicide attack kills four suspected AQAP members.“Drone strike 'kills 4 Qaeda suspects' in Yemen,” Gulf Times, May 7, 2019, https://www.gulf-times.com/story/630902/Drone-strike-kills-4-Qaeda-suspects-in-Yemen.
- June 11, 2019: A security vehicle strikes a roadside bomb in Abyan province. The explosion kills at least three soldiers and injures an additional four. It is suspected that AQAP is responsible for the attack as roadside bombs heavily feature throughout their insurgent strategy.“3 soldiers killed in roadside bomb explosion in southern Yemen,” Xinhua, June 11, 2019, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-06/11/c_138134437.htm.
- June 18, 2019: Suspected AQAP gunmen open fire and kill a security member in Hadramout. It is unreported if there were any other casualties or injuries.“Suspected al-Qaida gunmen kill Yemeni security member,” Xinhua, June 16, 2018, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-06/18/c_138154041.htm.
- July 19, 2019: AQAP members attack a military checkpoint in Abyan. At least five soldiers are killed. The soldiers were newly recruited security forces backed by the United Arab Emirates. It is reported that AQAP has been intensifying their armed attacks against the pro-government Yemeni forces over the past couple of months.“Suspected al-Qaida gunmen attack military checkpoint in southern Yemen, 5 killed,” Xinhua, July 19, 2019, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-07/19/c_138240782.htm.
- August 1, 2019: A suicide bomber drives his explosive-laden car into a police station in Aden. The attack kills 13 policemen. No one claims responsibility for the attack, although AQAP often uses such attacks to target military bases and police stations.“Al-Qaeda attacks in south Yemen draw passive response amid coalition war with Houthis,” Middle East Eye, August 3, 2019, https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/aqap-attacks-south-yemen-draw-passive-response-during-civil-war-houthis.
- August 2, 2019: AQAP militants attack the al-Mahfad army base in southern Abyan province. The insurgents killed at least 19 soldiers.“Al-Qaeda launches deadly attack on army base in southern Yemen,” Al Jazeera, August 2, 2019, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/08/al-qaeda-launches-deadly-attack-army-base-southern-yemen-190802081549242.html.; https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/02/world/middleeast/yemen-officials-al-qaida-kills-at-least-20-at-military-camp.html.
- August 27, 2019 – September 11, 2019: According to the Long War Journal, AQAP and Islamic State in Yemen (ISIS-Y) have engaged in more than 29 attacks against one another in Yemen’s Qayfa region. The attacks occurred in a period from August 27 through September 11, 2019. AQAP allegedly carried out the majority of the attacks (23 out of the reported 29).Caleb Weiss, “AQAP and Islamic State resume fighting in Yemen,” Long War Journal, September 11, 2019, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2019/09/aqap-and-islamic-state-resume-fighting-in-yemen.php.
- November 11, 2019 – April 16, 2020: A man wielding a knife rushes onto a stage at King Abdullah Park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The assailant, identified as 33-year-old Yemeni resident Emad Abdelqaui al-Mansouri, stabs three performers before being tackled by a security guard. Saudi state TV reports that al-Mansouri acted on an order of a senior leader of AQAP. On December 30, a court in Saudi Arabia finds al-Mansouri guilty of tampering with national security and creating chaos and terror. The court sentences him to death. On April 16, 2020, Saudi Arabia executes al-Mansouri.“Saudi concert stabbing suspect took orders from al Qaeda in Yemen: state TV,” Reuters, December 19, 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-security-stabbing/saudi-concert-stabbing-suspect-took-orders-from-al-qaeda-in-yemen-state-tv-idUSKBN1YN1C0.; “Saudi court sentences man to death for stabbing Spanish theatre group,” BBC News, December 30, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50947324.; “Saudi Arabia executes man who attacked Spanish dance troupe,” NBC News, April 16, 2020, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/saudi-arabia-executes-man-who-attacked-spanish-dance-troupe-n1185206.
- December 6, 2019 – February 02, 2020: On December 6, a member of the Saudi Air Force goes on a shooting rampage in a classroom building at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola. Armed with a handgun, Second Lt. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani kills three people and injures eight others. Alshamrani was one of hundreds of military trainees at the base. A sheriff’s deputy eventually shoots Alshamrani dead during the attack. On February 2, AQAP releases a posthumous recording from AQAP leader Qasim al-Raymi that claims responsibility for directing the December shooting. The group does not provide evidence of training the gunman, but offers copies of his will and correspondence that indicate his affiliation with AQAP.“Al-Qaeda In Yemen Takes Credit For Deadly Florida Naval-Base Shooting,” Radio Free Europe, February 3, 2020, https://www.rferl.org/a/al-qaeda-in-yemen-takes-credit-for-deadly-florida-naval-base-shooting/30413791.html.; Declan Walsh, “Al Qaeda Claims It Directed Florida Naval Base Shooting,” New York Times, February 2, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/02/world/middleeast/al-qaeda-claims-it-directed-florida-naval-base-shooting.html.; Kalyn Wolfe, Patricia Mazzei, Eric Schmitt and Christine Hauser, “Six Saudis Said to Be Questioned After Pensacola Navy Base Shooting,” New York Times , December 6, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/06/us/pensacola-florida-navy-shooting.html.
- April 23, 2020: AQAP militants ambush a security checkpoint in Abyan province. The attack kills one Yemeni security member and another was kidnapped.“Al-Qaida militants kill security member, kidnap another in southern Yemen,” Yemen Online, April 23, 2020, https://yemenonline.info/politics/3379.
- August 15, 2020: AQAP militants shoot Motthar al-Youssoufi in al-Bayda province. They crucify his body and leave it outside a health clinic. The jihadists claimed al-Youssoufi guided U.S. drone strokes against the militants.“Al-Qaeda Blows up Yemen Clinic After Executing Dentist,” Defense Post, August 25, 2020, https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/08/25/al-qaeda-blows-up-yemen-clinic/.
- August 25, 2020: AQAP militants detonate a bomb in the Somaa district of al-Bayda province. The attack destroys a health center where alleged al-Qaeda dissident Mottar al-Youssoufi, was killed and crucified days earlier.“Al-Qaeda Blows up Yemen Clinic After Executing Dentist,” Defense Post, August 25, 2020, https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/08/25/al-qaeda-blows-up-yemen-clinic/.
- October 16, 2020: AQAP launches attacks targeting Houthi militants in al-Bayda province. The attacks included firing mortar at the Houthis and detonating an IED near Houthi vehicles.“Gulf of Aden Security Review,” Critical Threats, October 19, 2020, https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-october-19-2020.
- November 2, 2020: AQAP militants attack Houthi fighters with mortar, gunfire, and IEDs in Shawkan, al-Bayda province.“Gulf of Aden Security Review,” Critical Threats, October 19, 2020, https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-october-19-2020.
Designations
Designations by the U.S. Government:
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January 19, 2010: The Department of State designates Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act).“Designations of Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Senior Leaders,” U.S. Department of State, January 19, 2010, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143208.htm. | January 19, 2010: The Department of State designates Said al-Shihri as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Designations of Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Senior Leaders,” U.S. Department of State, January 19, 2010, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143208.htm. He is delisted on November 26, 2014.“Individuals and Entities Designated by the State Department Under E.O. 13224,” U.S. Department of State, accessed October 22, 2018, https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143210.htm. |
January 19, 2010: The Department of State designates Nasir al-Wuhayshi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Designations of Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Senior Leaders,” U.S. Department of State, January 19, 2010, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143208.htm. He is delisted on November 17, 2015.“Individuals and Entities Designated by the State Department Under E.O. 13224,” U.S. Department of State, accessed October 22, 2018, https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143210.htm. | May 11, 2010: The Department of State designates Qasim al-Raymi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Designations of AQAP Leaders Qasim Al-Rimi and Nayif Al-Qahtani,” U.S. Department of State, May 11, 2010, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143206.htm. |
May 11, 2010: The Department of State designates Nayif al-Qahtani as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Designations of AQAP Leaders Qasim Al-Rimi and Nayif Al-Qahtani,” U.S. Department of State, May 11, 2010, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143206.htm. He is delisted on June 27, 2013.“Individuals and Entities Designated by the State Department Under E.O. 13224,” U.S. Department of State, accessed October 22, 2018, https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143210.htm. | July 6, 2010: The Department of the Treasury designates Anwar al-Awlaki as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Treasury Designates Anwar Al-Aulaqi, Key Leader of Al-Qa’ida in the Arabia Peninsula,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, July 16, 2010, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg779.aspx. |
December 7, 2010: The Department of State designates Fahd Mohamed Ahmed al-Quso as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Secretary of State Designation of al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula Operative Fahd Mohammed Ahmed al-Quso,” U.S. Department of State, December 7, 2010, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/12/152455.htm. He is delisted on September 26, 2013.“Individuals and Entities Designated by the State Department Under E.O. 13224,” U.S. Department of State, accessed October 22, 2018, https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143210.htm. | July 6, 2010: The Department of State designates Ibrahim Hassan Tali al-Asiri as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Department of State’s Terrorist Designation of Ibrahim Assan Tali Al-Asiri,” U.S. Department of State, March 24, 2011, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/03/158911.htm. |
March 24, 2011: The Department of State designates Ibrahim Hassan Tali Al-Asiri as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Individuals and Entities Designated by the State Department Under E.O. 13224,” U.S. Department of State, accessed October 22, 2018, https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143210.htm. | June 16, 2011: The Department of State designates Othman al-Ghamdi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Terrorist Designations of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Operative Othman Al-Ghamdi,” U.S. Department of State, June 16, 2011, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/06/166288.htm. |
October 7, 2013: The Department of the Treasury designates Muhammed Jamal Abd-al Rahim Ahmad as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Anti-Terrorism Designations,” U.S. Department of Treasury, October 7, 2013, http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20131007.aspx. | December 18, 2013: The Department of the Treasury designates Abd al-Rahman Umayr al-Nuaymi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Treasury Designates Al-Qa’ida Supporters in Qatar and Yemen,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 18, 2013, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2249.aspx. |
December 18, 2013: The Department of the Treasury designates Abd al-Wahhab Abd Muhammad Abd al-Rahamn Humayqani as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Treasury Designates Al-Qa’ida Supporters in Qatar and Yemen,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 18, 2013, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2249.aspx. | June 17, 2014: The Department of State designates Shawki Ali Ahmed al-Badani as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Terrorist Designation of Shawki Ali Ahmed al-Badani,” U.S. Department of State, June 17, 2014, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/06/227678.htm. |
July 15, 2014: The Department of State designates Anders Cameroon Ostensvig Dale as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Terrorist Designation of Anders Cameroon Ostensvig Dale,” U.S. Department of State, July 15, 2014, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/07/229277.htm. | December 18, 2014: The Department of State designates Ibrahim al-Rubaysh as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Individuals and Entities Designated by the State Department Under E.O. 13224,” U.S. Department of State, accessed October 22, 2018, https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143210.htm. |
September 29, 2015: The Department of State designates Peter Cherif as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Individuals and Entities Designated by the State Department Under E.O. 13224,” U.S. Department of State, accessed October 22, 2018, https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143210.htm. | January 5, 2017: The Department of State designates Ibrahim al-Banna as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Individuals and Entities Designated by the State Department Under E.O. 13224,” U.S. Department of State, accessed October 22, 2018, https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143210.htm. |
January 4, 2018: The Department of State designates Muhammad al-Ghazali as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Individuals and Entities Designated by the State Department Under E.O. 13224,” U.S. Department of State, accessed October 22, 2018, https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143210.htm. | January 23, 2018: The Department of State designates Khalid Batarfi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (under Executive Order 13224).“Individuals and Entities Designated by the State Department Under E.O. 13224,” U.S. Department of State, accessed October 22, 2018, https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143210.htm. |
Designations by Foreign Governments and Organizations:
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United Kingdom—listed Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) as an Asset Freeze Target on January 20, 2010.“CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK,” GOV.UK, last modified September 3, 2014, http://hmt-sanctions.s3.amazonaws.com/sanctionsconlist.htm. | United Kingdom—listed Abdul Mohsen Abdallah Ibrahim al Charekh (Sanafi al-Nasr) as an Asset Freeze Target on January 20, 2010.“CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK,” GOV.UK, last modified September 3, 2014, http://hmt-sanctions.s3.amazonaws.com/sanctionsconlist.htm. |
United Kingdom—listed Nasir Abd-al-Karim Abdullah al-Wahishi as an Asset Freeze Target on January 20, 2010“CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK,” GOV.UK, last modified September 3, 2014, http://hmt-sanctions.s3.amazonaws.com/sanctionsconlist.htm. and eventually delisted him.“CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK,” GOV.UK, last modified November 7, 2018, http://hmt-sanctions.s3.amazonaws.com/sanctionsconlist.htm. | United Kingdom—listed Qasim Yahya Mahdi al-Rimi as an Asset Freeze Target on May 26, 2010.“CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK,” GOV.UK, last modified September 3, 2014, http://hmt-sanctions.s3.amazonaws.com/sanctionsconlist.htm. |
United Kingdom—listed Anwar Nasser Abdulla al-Aulaqi as an Asset Freeze Target on July 30, 2010.“CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK,” GOV.UK, last modified September 3, 2014, http://hmt-sanctions.s3.amazonaws.com/sanctionsconlist.htm. | United Kingdom—listed Ibrahim Hassan Tali al-Asiri as an Asset Freeze Target on April 1, 2011.“CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK,” GOV.UK, last modified September 3, 2014, http://hmt-sanctions.s3.amazonaws.com/sanctionsconlist.htm. |
United Kingdom—listed Othman Ahmed Othman al-Ghamdi as an Asset Freeze Target on June 27, 2011.“CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK,” GOV.UK, last modified September 3, 2014, http://hmt-sanctions.s3.amazonaws.com/sanctionsconlist.htm. | United Kingdom—listed Muhammad Jamal Abd-al Rahim Ahmad al-Kashif as an Asset Freeze Target on November 5, 2013.“CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK,” GOV.UK, last modified September 3, 2014, http://hmt-sanctions.s3.amazonaws.com/sanctionsconlist.htm. |
United Kingdom—listed Abdullah al-Zaidi Ghalib as an Asset Freeze Target on February 25, 2017.“CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK,” GOV.UK, last modified October 19, 2018, http://hmt-sanctions.s3.amazonaws.com/sanctionsconlist.htm. | United Kingdom—listed Salih Salim al-Qaysi Nayif as an Asset Freeze Target on February 25, 2017.“CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK,” GOV.UK, last modified October 19, 2018, http://hmt-sanctions.s3.amazonaws.com/sanctionsconlist.htm. |
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United Nations—listed Aiman Muhammed Rabi al-Zawahri as an Individual associated with Al Qaida on October 6, 2001.“Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” United Nations, last modified September 9, 2014, http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/AQList.htm. | United Nations—listed Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) under the category "Entities and other groups and undertakings associated with Al Qaida" on January 19, 2010.“Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” United Nations, last modified September 9, 2014, http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/AQList.htm. |
United Nations—listed Nasir ‘abd-al-Karim ‘Abdullah al-Wahishi as an Individual associated with Al Qaida on January 19, 2010.“Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” United Nations, last modified September 9, 2014, http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/AQList.htm. He was delisted on October 11, 2016.“Security Council ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee Removes One Entry from Its Sanctions List,” United Nations, October 11, 2016, https://www.un.org/press/en/2016/sc12549.doc.htm. | United Nations—listed Said Ali al-Shihri as an Individual associated with Al Qaida on January 19, 2010.“Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” United Nations, last modified September 9, 2014, http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/AQList.htm. He was delisted on March 16, 2015.“Security Council Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee Deletes Four Individuals from Its Sanctions List,” United Nations, March 16, 2015, https://www.un.org/press/en/2015/sc11818.doc.htm. |
United Nations—listed Qasim Yaha Mahdi al-Rimi as an Individual associated with Al Qaida on May 11, 2010.“Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” United Nations, last modified September 9, 2014, http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/AQList.htm. | United Nations—listed Anwar Nasser Abdulla al-Aulaqi as an Individual associated with Al Qaida on July 20, 2010.“Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” United Nations, last modified September 9, 2014, http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/AQList.htm. |
United Nations—listed Ibrahim Hassan Tali al-Asiri as an Individual associated with Al Qaida on March 24, 2011.“Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” United Nations, last modified September 9, 2014, http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/AQList.htm. | United Nations—listed Othman Ahmed Othman al-Ghamdi as an Individual associated with Al Qaida on June 16, 2011.“Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” United Nations, last modified September 9, 2014, http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/AQList.htm. |
United Nations—listed Muhammad Jamal Abd-Al Rahim Ahmad Al-Kashif as an Individual associated with Al Qaida on October 21, 2013.“Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” United Nations, last modified September 9, 2014, http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/AQList.htm. | United Nations—listed Anders Cameroon Ostensvig Dale as an Individual associated with Al Qaida on September 23, 2014.“ISIL (Da'esh) & Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” United Nations, last modified October 22, 2018, https://www.un.org/sc/suborg/en/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list. |
United Nations—listed Abd Al-Aziz Aday Zimin al-Fadhil as an Individual associated with Al Qaida on September 21, 2015.“ISIL (Da'esh) & Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” United Nations, last modified October 22, 2018, https://www.un.org/sc/suborg/en/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list. | United Nations—listed Mu’tassim Yahya ‘Ali Al-Rumaysh as an Individual associated with Al Qaida on September 29, 2015.“ISIL (Da'esh) & Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” United Nations, last modified October 22, 2018, https://www.un.org/sc/suborg/en/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list. |
United Nations—listed Peter Cherif as an Individual associated with Al Qaida on September 29, 2015.“ISIL (Da'esh) & Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” United Nations, last modified October 22, 2018, https://www.un.org/sc/suborg/en/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list. | United Nations—listed Ghalib Abdullah Al-Zaidi as an Individual associated with Al Qaida on February 22, 2017“ISIL (Da'esh) & Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” United Nations, last modified October 22, 2018, https://www.un.org/sc/suborg/en/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list. |
United Nations—listed Nayif Salih Salim al-Qaysi as an Individual associated with Al Qaida on February 22, 2017.“ISIL (Da'esh) & Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” United Nations, last modified October 22, 2018, https://www.un.org/sc/suborg/en/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list. | |
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Associations
Ties to Extremist Entities:
![]() In August 2014, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula announced its support for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria via Twitter, “Yemen’s AQAP calls on Islamists to Target America After Iraq Air Strikes,” Reuters, August 14, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/14/us-iraq-security-yemen-idUSKBN0GE2DC20140814. and made operative recommendations to ISIS in a statement published on its website. “Yemen’s AQAP calls on Islamists to Target America After Iraq Air Strikes,” Reuters, August 14, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/14/us-iraq-security-yemen-idUSKBN0GE2DC20140814. Although al-Qaeda distanced itself from the brutal group based in Iraq and Syria, no break has since been reported between al-Qaeda and its affiliate in the Arabian Peninsula as a result of AQAP’s support for ISIS. In August 2018, AQAP fought against ISIS in Yemen for the first time in four years. Dr. Gregory Johnsen, member of the U.N. Security Council’s Panel of Experts on Yemen, therefore believes that the relationship between AQAP and ISIS has shifted from its previous “tacit non-aggression pact” into a direct conflict with one another.Gregory D. Johnsen, “Al-Qaeda and ISIS are on Their Heels in Yemen, But Will Return Unless We Help Build a Lasting Peace,” Just Security, August 7, 2018, https://www.justsecurity.org/60099/al-qaeda-isis-heels-yemen-return-lasting-peace/. In November 2014, AQAP chief cleric Harith al-Nadhari accused ISIS of “planting… disunity” among Islamic factions fighting in Syria. Mike Brunker, “War of Words Between al-Qaeda and ISIS Continues with Scholar’s Smackdown, “ NBC News, November 21, 2014, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/war-words-between-al-qaeda-isis-continues-scholars-smackdown-n253676. In an official AQAP statement, al-Nadhari criticized ISIS of “extending the caliphate to a number of countries in which [it has] no power.” Al-Nadhari’s criticism came one week after a November 13 declaration by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in which Baghdadi claimed the ‘caliphate’ to have spread to Libya, Yemen, Algeria, Egypt and Qatar. Zachary Roth and Jane C. Timm, “Admin: Strikes on Khorasan Group Aimed to Avert Imminent Threat,” MSNBC, September 23, 2014, http://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/us-arab-partners-airstrikes-syria-isis. |
![]() Khorasan is a Syria-based al-Qaeda offshoot considered in September 2014 an “imminent threat” to U.S. national security. Zachary Roth and Jane C. Timm, “Admin: Strikes on Khorasan Group Aimed to Avert Imminent Threat,” MSNBC, September 23, 2014, http://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/us-arab-partners-airstrikes-syria-isis. According to then-Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr., “in terms of threat to the homeland, Khorasan may pose as much of a danger as the Islamic State [in Iraq and al-Sham].” Mark Mazzetti, Michael S. Schmidt and Ben Hubbard, “U.S. Suspects More Direct Threats Beyond ISIS,” New York Times, September 20, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/world/middleeast/us-sees-other-more-direct-threats-beyond-isis-.html. Khorasan’s connection to AQAP runs deep. The U.S. described Khorasan as a “network of seasoned al Qaeda veterans.” Mike Levine, James Gordon Meek, Pierre Thomas and Lee Ferran, “What is the Khorasan Group, Targeted in US by Syria?” ABC News, September 23, 2014, http://abcnews.go.com/International/khorasan-group-targeted-us-syria/story?id=25700467. U.S. Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA), a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, indirectly referred to Khorasan as “an unholy mix of people… some who come from AQAP.” Ken Dilanian and Eileen Sullivan, “AP Enterprise: al-Qaida’s Syrian Cell Alarms US,” Associated Press, September 13, 2014, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ap-enterprise-al-qaidas-syrian-cell-alarms-us. Khorasan has plotted with AQAP members, including chief bomb maker Ibrahim al-Asiri, to plan concealed bombs for terrorist plots against the United States. According to CNN, al-Asiri plotted three strikes against American aviation between 2009 and 2012, after which he was supposedly “transferred” to the Khorasan Group. Paul Cruickshank, "Killing Khorasan Bomb-Maker a Big Win—But at What Cost?" CNN, November 6, 2014, http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/06/world/meast/syria-strike-bomb-maker/. |
![]() Al-Shabab is al-Qaeda’s Somali-based branch. According to Somali Foreign Minister Abdisalam Omer, the chaos of the Yemeni insurgency has enabled terrorists and weapons to flow between Yemen and Somalia.Ty McCormick, U.S. Attacks Reveal Al-Shabab’s Strength, Not Weakness,” Foreign Policy, March 9, 2016, http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/03/09/u-s-attacks-reveal-al-shababs-strength-not-weakness-somalia/. According to Omer, al-Shabab fighters have been able to obtain new weapons and develop tactics from AQAP, including the use of laptop explosives and more destructive car bombs. Ties between AQAP and al-Shabab reportedly existed before the Somali-based group pledged its allegiance to the al-Qaeda network in 2012. In 2010, AQAP deputy leader Said Al Shihri released a statement calling for the two groups to target the United States together.Ty McCormick, U.S. Attacks Reveal Al-Shabab’s Strength, Not Weakness,” Foreign Policy, March 9, 2016, http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/03/09/u-s-attacks-reveal-al-shababs-strength-not-weakness-somalia/. U.S. intelligence officers have also claimed AQAP was training al-Shabab fighters and providing them with weapons since 2011.Brian Bennett, “Al Qeada’s Yemen branch has aided Somalia militants, U.S. says,” Los Angeles Times, July 18, 2011, http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/18/world/la-fg-bin-laden-somalia-20110718. |
![]() Prior to the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, the Taliban provided al-Qaeda with safe havens in Afghanistan in the 1990s.Richard Barrett, Sajjan Gohel, Ronald E. Neumann, and Nigel Inkster, “The al-Qaeda-Taliban Nexus,” Council on Foreign Relations, November 25, 2009, http://www.cfr.org/pakistan/al-qaeda-taliban-nexus/p20838. More recently, al-Qaeda leaders have been featured in Taliban propaganda videos. AQAP senior official Sheikh Khalid Bartafi appeared in a Taliban video released in 2016, affirming his support and praise for the Taliban.Thomas Joscelyn and Bill Roggio, “Taliban rejects peace talks, emphasizes alliance with al Qaeda in new video,” Long War Journal, December 9, 2016, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/12/taliban-rejects-peace-talks-emphasizes-alliance-with-al-qaeda-in-new-video.php. |
Prominent Leaders:
Abdullah bin Khalid al-Thani
The royal family of Qatar has been tied to al-Qaeda central command as well as its branch in the Arabian Peninsula. Qatar’s former interior minister and royal family member Abdullah bin Khalid al-Thani tipped off the 9/11 attacks mastermind, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, before he could be captured by the U.S. Brian Ross and David Scott, "Qatari Royal Family Linked to Al Qaeda," ABC News, February 7, 2007, http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=129838. In 2010, an arm of the Qatari government made a $1.2 million donation to help build a Yemeni mosque for Abdel Wahab al-Humayqani, who was already a designated fund-raiser for AQAP. David K Kirkpatrick, “Qatar’s Support of Islamists Alienates Allies Near and Far,” New York Times, September 7, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/08/world/middleeast/qatars-support-of-extremists-alienates-allies-near-and-far.html.
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