Leader of ISIS in Yemen captured in joint counterterrorism raid
Saudi and Yemeni special forces captured the leader of ISIS in Yemen, as well as the group’s chief financial officer, earlier this month. The raid was backed by the US.
Saudi and Yemeni special forces captured the leader of ISIS in Yemen, as well as the group’s chief financial officer, earlier this month. The raid was backed by the US.
Counterterrorism operations against AQAP have significantly tapered off in 2018 after a massive increase in 2017. The strike that killed Jamal-al Badawi is the first in Yemen since mid-September 2018.
In 2017, LWJ reported unprecedented levels of airstrikes in Somalia and Yemen. Thus far in 2018, the United States has sustained its high strike tempo in Somalia and improved transparency on its air campaign in Yemen. Strikes in Pakistan have leveled off, however press restrictions make tracking operations there difficult. In Libya, the U.S. has targeted jihadists sparingly.
The US Treasury Department and several Gulf States announced today that eight jihadists in Yemen have been designated as terrorists. The newly-sanctioned terrorists serve either the Islamic State’s Yemeni branch, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or both.