22/02/2021
| by Shay, Shaul (Dr.)
The leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has been under arrest for several months, according to a United Nations report. The document said Khalid bin Umar Batarfi, also known as Abu Miqdad al-Kindi, the leader of AQAP for just under a year, was arrested and his deputy, Saad Atef al-Awlaqi, died during an operation in Ghayda City, Al-Mahrah Governorate, in October 2020.[1] So far, the group has not announced who replaced Batarfi as the leader of AQAP.
On February 23, 2020, AQAP announced that it had selected Batarfi as the group’s new leader. Batarfi was AQAP’s third leader since the group was formed in January 2009. AQAP’s first two leaders, Nasir al-Wuhayshi and Qasim al-Raymi, were both killed in U.S. drone strikes: Wuhayshi in June 2015 and Raymi in January 2020.
The leader of Al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen appears to be still at large despite a United Nations report which claimed he had been under arrest for months, the SITE Intelligence Group and two local tribal leaders said Thursday after he was seen in a video released by the jihadist group. Khalid Batarfi, who has been the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) for about a.
The leader of Al-Qaeda’s Yemeni affiliate has been under arrest for several months, according to a United Nations report, in what will be seen as a huge breakthrough in the fight against the global jihadist threat
UN report: Arabian Peninsula Al-Qaeda leader under arrest
Al-Qaeda militants posing with Al-Qaeda flags on 24 May 2014 [AFP/Getty Images] February 6, 2021 at 11:46 am
Leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Khalid Batarfi was arrested several months ago, a United Nations (UN) report released on Thursday revealed.
The report stated that Batarfi s arrested led to the killing of his deputy, Saad Atef Al-Awlaki, during an operation in Ghayda City, Al-Mahrah governorate in October of last year.
The report, filed with the Security Council by a UN monitoring team specialising in extremist groups, is the first official confirmation of Batarfi s arrest following unverified reports.