Al Qaeda’s official branch in Yemen took control of Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan, and Jaar. The two towns were previously under al Qaeda control between May 2011 and the summer of 2012.
Al Qaeda has released a new speech by Ayman al Zawahiri, who asks Allah to reward the “brothers in Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula” (AQAP) for helping “to complete” the January 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo’s offices in Paris.
In the midst of fighting between a Saudi-led coalition and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has been able to capitalize on the chaos and gain territory in Yemen.
While the Saudi-led coalition has made gains towards the proclaimed Houthi capital in Sanaa, the Iranian-backed Shiites continue to hit the coalition hard in both Yemen and southern Saudi Arabia.
Al Qaeda’s branches and allies have held or continue to control ground in Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Mali, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Libya, contrary to the narrative that only the Islamic State seeks to take territory.
The “caliphate’s” men have once again struck a mosque in Sanaa, Yemen. Unlike al Qaeda, the Islamic State deliberately targets Houthi civilians.
The Houthis have destroyed several armored vehicles, including US-supplied M1 Abrams tanks, while battling Saudi and Emirati troops.
The US continues to target al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s network in the eastern city of Mukallah. The city fell to AQAP in April.
Qasim al Raymi, the new head of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), reaffirms his allegiance to Ayman al Zawahiri in a newly-released audio message. It is al Raymi’s first message as AQAP’s emir.
The United Nations Secretary General greeted ‘Abd al Wahhab al Humayqani at Geneva for peace talks in his capacity as a member of the Yemeni government in exile’s delegation. The US listed Humayqani as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and described him as al Qaeda’s emir for Al Baydah province in Yemen as well as a financier, recruiter, attack planner, and ideologue.
AQAP executed two men on a beach in Mukallah after accusing them of serving as spies for the US and Saudi Arabia. According to jihadists on social media, the two men helped locate AQAP leaders killed in drone strikes this year. The Long War Journal cannot independently verify these claims.
Reports of the death of Nasir al Wuhayshi, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s emir and al Qaeda’s general manager, are unconfirmed. The US launched a drone strike in Hadramout province last week.
A US drone strike reportedly killed Ma’moun Abdulhamid Hatem, an AQAP and Ansar al Sharia official who supported the Islamic State, yesterday in Yemen. His purported death has not been confirmed by the group.
Saudi-led air strikes hit Yemeni capital, ships shell Aden-residents
Yemen rebels demand complete end to attacks, seek talks
Islamic State shot and beheaded 30 people in Libya: video
Saudi-led coalition bombs Yemen despite calling off air campaign.
Yemeni militiamen say captured two Iranian officers in Aden
Pakistan declines Saudi call for armed support in Yemen fight
Saudi-led coalition batters Yemen with intense raids
Yemen's Aden suffers amid clashes, aid deliveries delayed
Al Qaeda franchise in Yemen exploits chaos to rebuild, officials say
Yemen tribal forces say will retake Mukalla from al Qaeda
As Operation Decisive Storm got underway, Iranian outlets, analysts, and elites all prepared to frame the conflict between the Shiite Houthis in Yemen and the 10-member coalition as part of the larger Saudi-Iranian cold war. Such zero-sum statements indicate that any set-back for the coalition will be a win for Iran.
Apparent airstrike kills scores at UN refugee camp in northern Yemen
Saudi Arabia, allies launch air campaign in Yemen against Houthi fighters
Hadi forces check Houthi push towards Yemen’s Aden
US military advisors based at Al Anad Air Base have been withdrawn after AQAP briefly took control of a nearby city. The advisors were at the forefront in battling al Qaeda’s branch in Yemen.
Rebels seize key parts of Yemen’s 3rd largest city, Taiz
The Islamic State’s attacks on Houthi civilians are part of a deliberate strategy. AQAP tries to avoid such operations, but the permissibility of deliberately killing Shiite civilians is still debated in jihadist circles.