Al Qaeda
US declassifying counterterror campaigns in Yemen and Somalia; no mention of drones
US declassifying counterterror campaigns in Yemen and Somalia; no mention of drones
Yemeni troops retook control of the coastal town of Shaqra in Abyan province. More than 24 al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters were killed. Shaqra is the third town in Abyan to return to government control this week.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula demolished tombs in several villages outside of Jaar just days before withdrawing from the city. Former Guantanamo detainee Ibrahim Suleiman al Rubaish said the group destroyed the sites as AQAP is “reviving their jihad.”
US expands secret intelligence operations in Africa
Yemeni troops are reported to be advancing on Shaqra, a coastal town in Abyan that has been under al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s control for the past year. Seven people were killed by land mines in Zinjibar.
The military said 30 al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters were killed in three airstrikes in Azzan. At least one of the strikes was conducted by US drones in Azzan; nine AQAP fighters were killed.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula said it would begin “quick operations and painful strikes” against the Yemeni state now that the group has lost control of several major strongholds.
The Yemeni military said it took control of the cities of Zinjibar, Jaar, and Rahowah; 20 al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and four soldiers were killed. A Yemeni news outlet claimed AQAP released a statement confirming the withdrawal.
Pakistan – Al Qaeda battleground
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Twenty-eight al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and six soldiers were killed during fighting outside of Jaar. The military said it retook the Batis area and the October 7 factory in Abyan province.
The military said three al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters were killed during shelling outside of Jaar. A Yemeni official also claimed five AQAP fighters were killed in a drone strike on June 7; the report has not been confirmed.
Ten al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and three Yemeni soldiers were killed in fighting outside of Jaar in Abyan province. AQAP still controls the town after one month of fighting.
Russia says is not against Assad’s departure
Five tribesmen and three al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters were killed during fighting to control Al Bais, a town north of Jaar. A senior cleric called for AQAP to lay down its weapons and said suicide bombings are not part of jihad.
Libyan official: US drones seeking jihadists in Libya
Twenty al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and five tribesmen were killed during fighting outside of Jaar. Yemeni helicopter gunships opened fire on AQAP positions in Jaar.
Thirteen al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and four soldiers were killed during fighting in southern Yemen. The International Committee of the Red Cross said that tens of thousands of Yemeni civilians are trapped in the fighting.
Thousands of Yemenis caught up in fighting: ICRC
Abu Yahya al-Libi of Al Qaeda Said to Be Killed
The military said 26 al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters were killed during fighting in Zinjibar and Jaar. The military defeated an AQAP attempt to take the city of Attaq, the capital of Shabwa province.
Yemen: Al-Qaeda starts suicide-bomber recruitment drive
An Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula suicide bomber killed four people in an attack against a pro-government militia in Abyan. Houthi rebels stormed a headquarters of the Islah party in Saada.
Eleven al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and two soldiers were killed during fighting in Zinjibar and Jaar. Yemeni troops are being transferred from Lawdar to Sharqa, which is under al Qaeda’s control.
US drone targets in Yemen raise questions
Several people were killed during fighting between Houthis and Salafists in the Kitaf district in Saada. Yemen and Iraq signed an agreement to share intelligence on terrorists operating in the region.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula released 27 Yemeni soldiers who have been captured during military operations in Shabwa. Yemen’s foreign minister accused Iran of “intervention in internal affairs.”
Four al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and three Yemeni soldiers were killed in fighting in Rada’a in Baydah province. The Houthis said that they would conduct peace talks with the government. Dozens of Houthis and tribesmen were killed in clashes in Hajja.
In Yemen, US airstrikes breed anger, and sympathy for al-Qaeda
Security forces killed 10 al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters in air and artillery strikes in Jaar and Sharqa. President Hadi said that AQAP’s bombings of a pipeline in Marib have cost Yemen more than $2 billion.