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The thuggish Yankee regime only kills innocent civilians.
Drone Strikes in Yemen
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MooshMoosh
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US drones kill al Qaeda operative who fought in Iraq
By BILL ROGGIO & OREN ADAKI, March 5, 2014
Today the US launched the second drone strike in Yemen in three days. The strike, which took place in northern Yemen, killed a jihadist who fought in Iraq.
The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers fired two missiles at a vehicle as it traveled in the Khalka area of Al Jawf province province. Four "militants," including a local commander known as Ali Juraym, were killed in the strike.
Yemeni news sources claim that Ali Juraym, whose full name is Ali Saleh Juraym Al Olyan, was an al Qaeda commander known to have returned from Iraq. Al Olyan was reportedly from the Al Sayda tribe hailing from the Al Jawf province in northern Yemen. Yemeni tribal sources said that they could not identify the other AQAP fighters who were killed with Al Olyan due to the severity of their injuries. They also confirmed that al Qaeda operatives arrived at the scene shortly after the drone strike to collect the militants' remains.
Yemeni are known to fight in Iraq and in other theaters of jihad. In the past, the government encouraged its young men to fight in Iraq and then return to fight against the Houthis, a Shia rebel group in the north. In early 2007, a Yemeni newspaper counted more than 1,800 Yemenis who traveled to Iraq for jihad; their families said the young men were trained by top-level Yemeni military commanders.
Al Jawf is a known haven for top al Qaeda leaders. US drones have struck AQAP in Al Jawf four other times since the beginning of 2010. The last strike in the province took place in June 2013. An AQAP commander known as Saleh Hassan Jredan, his brother, and four other fighters were reported killed in that strike.
Two of the five strikes in Al Jawf targeted top AQAP leaders. In September 2011, the US killed Anwar al Awlaki, the American propagandist, ideologue, recruiter, and operational commander, and Samir Khan, an American who ran Inspire Magazine, in an airstrike in the province. Awlaki sheltered at the homes of Islah leaders in Al Jawf before he was killed. And in January 2010, an airstrike targeted Qasim al Raymi, AQAP's top military commander. He and other senior AQAP officials survived the strike.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/03/us_drones_kill_al_qa.php
You're just jealous ......
By BILL ROGGIO & OREN ADAKI, March 5, 2014
Today the US launched the second drone strike in Yemen in three days. The strike, which took place in northern Yemen, killed a jihadist who fought in Iraq.
The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers fired two missiles at a vehicle as it traveled in the Khalka area of Al Jawf province province. Four "militants," including a local commander known as Ali Juraym, were killed in the strike.
Yemeni news sources claim that Ali Juraym, whose full name is Ali Saleh Juraym Al Olyan, was an al Qaeda commander known to have returned from Iraq. Al Olyan was reportedly from the Al Sayda tribe hailing from the Al Jawf province in northern Yemen. Yemeni tribal sources said that they could not identify the other AQAP fighters who were killed with Al Olyan due to the severity of their injuries. They also confirmed that al Qaeda operatives arrived at the scene shortly after the drone strike to collect the militants' remains.
Yemeni are known to fight in Iraq and in other theaters of jihad. In the past, the government encouraged its young men to fight in Iraq and then return to fight against the Houthis, a Shia rebel group in the north. In early 2007, a Yemeni newspaper counted more than 1,800 Yemenis who traveled to Iraq for jihad; their families said the young men were trained by top-level Yemeni military commanders.
Al Jawf is a known haven for top al Qaeda leaders. US drones have struck AQAP in Al Jawf four other times since the beginning of 2010. The last strike in the province took place in June 2013. An AQAP commander known as Saleh Hassan Jredan, his brother, and four other fighters were reported killed in that strike.
Two of the five strikes in Al Jawf targeted top AQAP leaders. In September 2011, the US killed Anwar al Awlaki, the American propagandist, ideologue, recruiter, and operational commander, and Samir Khan, an American who ran Inspire Magazine, in an airstrike in the province. Awlaki sheltered at the homes of Islah leaders in Al Jawf before he was killed. And in January 2010, an airstrike targeted Qasim al Raymi, AQAP's top military commander. He and other senior AQAP officials survived the strike.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/03/us_drones_kill_al_qa.php
You're just jealous ......
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US drones kill 4 AQAP commanders and fighters in central Yemen
By BILL ROGGIO & OREN ADAKI, March 11, 2014
Aftermath of a US drone strike that targeted two vehicles in Marib province on March 10. Image from Al Khabar Now.
Late last night a US drone strike killed four al Qaeda commanders and fighters in Marib province east of Sana'a, the Yemeni capital. The strike is the third in Yemen so far this month.
Arabic media reports indicate that the drones fired two missiles at two vehicles carrying al Qaeda operatives as they traveled in the Wadi Abida area of Al Shabwa district in Marib.
The two al Qaeda leaders confirmed killed in the attack were identified as Ebad Mobarak Al Shabwani and Ja'afar Mohammad Jaber Al Shabwani. Ebad and Ja'afar were not on Yemen's most recent list of wanted al Qaeda leaders. The identities of the other two killed in the strike were not confirmed, but Arabic new sources suggest that they too were members of al Qaeda.
The Al Shabwan tribe has been recurrently involved in al Qaeda activity in the country, and drone strikes have targeted a number of the tribe members. Most recently, Mujahid Jaber Saleh al Shabwani, an AQAP leader who had returned from fighting in Iraq, was killed in Shabwa province by a US drone strike [see LWJ report, US kills 3 AQAP operatives in Yemen drone strike]. AQAP is known to operate in Shabwa province, where much of the Shabwan tribe is based. Most of the province was under AQAP control between May 2011 and May 2012.
The US has targeted AQAP in Wadi Abida in Marib four other times in the past. The last strike in Wadi Abida took place on Jan. 23, 2014; four AQAP fighters were reported killed in the attack. Two of the strikes took place in 2013 and the other in 2012. A few years earlier, in March 2008, Wadi Abida was identified as the base of an al Qaeda group known as the Yemen Soldiers Brigade. The group claimed credit for mortar attacks against the US Embassy, the Italian Embassy, and a Western housing complex in Sana'a in 2008.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/03/us_drones_kill_4_aqa_2.php
By BILL ROGGIO & OREN ADAKI, March 11, 2014
Aftermath of a US drone strike that targeted two vehicles in Marib province on March 10. Image from Al Khabar Now.
Late last night a US drone strike killed four al Qaeda commanders and fighters in Marib province east of Sana'a, the Yemeni capital. The strike is the third in Yemen so far this month.
Arabic media reports indicate that the drones fired two missiles at two vehicles carrying al Qaeda operatives as they traveled in the Wadi Abida area of Al Shabwa district in Marib.
The two al Qaeda leaders confirmed killed in the attack were identified as Ebad Mobarak Al Shabwani and Ja'afar Mohammad Jaber Al Shabwani. Ebad and Ja'afar were not on Yemen's most recent list of wanted al Qaeda leaders. The identities of the other two killed in the strike were not confirmed, but Arabic new sources suggest that they too were members of al Qaeda.
The Al Shabwan tribe has been recurrently involved in al Qaeda activity in the country, and drone strikes have targeted a number of the tribe members. Most recently, Mujahid Jaber Saleh al Shabwani, an AQAP leader who had returned from fighting in Iraq, was killed in Shabwa province by a US drone strike [see LWJ report, US kills 3 AQAP operatives in Yemen drone strike]. AQAP is known to operate in Shabwa province, where much of the Shabwan tribe is based. Most of the province was under AQAP control between May 2011 and May 2012.
The US has targeted AQAP in Wadi Abida in Marib four other times in the past. The last strike in Wadi Abida took place on Jan. 23, 2014; four AQAP fighters were reported killed in the attack. Two of the strikes took place in 2013 and the other in 2012. A few years earlier, in March 2008, Wadi Abida was identified as the base of an al Qaeda group known as the Yemen Soldiers Brigade. The group claimed credit for mortar attacks against the US Embassy, the Italian Embassy, and a Western housing complex in Sana'a in 2008.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/03/us_drones_kill_4_aqa_2.php
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US drones kill local AQAP commander and bodyguard
By BILL ROGGIO & OREN ADAKI, March 12, 2014
The US killed a local al Qaeda Arabian Peninsula commander and his bodyguard in the fourth recorded strike in Yemen so far this month.
Today's airstrike, which was carried out by the remotely piloted Predators or Reapers, targeted a vehicle as it traveled in the Jebel Jame area in the northern province of Al Jawf. The strike killed a local AQAP military commander known as Moajab bin Aziz, as well as his bodyguard, according to reports.
Al Jawf is a known haven for top al Qaeda leaders. US drones have struck AQAP in Al Jawf five other times since the beginning of 2010. The last strike in the province took place just one week ago, on March 5. That attack killed Ali Saleh Juraym Al Olyan, a local al Qaeda commander said to have returned from fighting in Iraq, and three other AQAP fighters.
Two of the six strikes in Al Jawf have targeted top-tier AQAP leaders. In September 2011,the US killed Anwar al Awlaki, the American propagandist, ideologue, recruiter, and operational commander, and Samir Khan, an American who ran Inspire Magazine, in an airstrike in the province. Awlaki sheltered at the homes of Islah leaders in Al Jawf before he was killed. And in January 2010, an airstrike targeted Qasim al Raymi, AQAP's top military commander. He and other senior AQAP officials survived the strike.
The US has stepped up the targeting of AQAP's network in Yemen over the past two weeks after a more than five-week-long pause that began at the end of January. Since March 3, the US has executed four drone strikes inside Yemen.
The March strikes have killed five local AQAP military commanders as well as eight fighters, according to data compiled by The Long War Journal. In addition to the March 5 airstrike that killed al Olyan, the US also killed Mujahid Gaber Saleh al Shabwani in a strike in Shabwa on March 3, and Ebad Mobarak Al Shabwani and Ja'afar Mohammad Jaber Al Shabwani on March 10.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/03/us_drones_kill_local.php
By BILL ROGGIO & OREN ADAKI, March 12, 2014
The US killed a local al Qaeda Arabian Peninsula commander and his bodyguard in the fourth recorded strike in Yemen so far this month.
Today's airstrike, which was carried out by the remotely piloted Predators or Reapers, targeted a vehicle as it traveled in the Jebel Jame area in the northern province of Al Jawf. The strike killed a local AQAP military commander known as Moajab bin Aziz, as well as his bodyguard, according to reports.
Al Jawf is a known haven for top al Qaeda leaders. US drones have struck AQAP in Al Jawf five other times since the beginning of 2010. The last strike in the province took place just one week ago, on March 5. That attack killed Ali Saleh Juraym Al Olyan, a local al Qaeda commander said to have returned from fighting in Iraq, and three other AQAP fighters.
Two of the six strikes in Al Jawf have targeted top-tier AQAP leaders. In September 2011,the US killed Anwar al Awlaki, the American propagandist, ideologue, recruiter, and operational commander, and Samir Khan, an American who ran Inspire Magazine, in an airstrike in the province. Awlaki sheltered at the homes of Islah leaders in Al Jawf before he was killed. And in January 2010, an airstrike targeted Qasim al Raymi, AQAP's top military commander. He and other senior AQAP officials survived the strike.
The US has stepped up the targeting of AQAP's network in Yemen over the past two weeks after a more than five-week-long pause that began at the end of January. Since March 3, the US has executed four drone strikes inside Yemen.
The March strikes have killed five local AQAP military commanders as well as eight fighters, according to data compiled by The Long War Journal. In addition to the March 5 airstrike that killed al Olyan, the US also killed Mujahid Gaber Saleh al Shabwani in a strike in Shabwa on March 3, and Ebad Mobarak Al Shabwani and Ja'afar Mohammad Jaber Al Shabwani on March 10.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/03/us_drones_kill_local.php
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US drone strike hits AQAP training camp in southern Yemen
By BILL ROGGIO & OREN ADAKI, April 1, 2014
The US killed three suspected al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters in the first drone strike in Yemen in nearly three weeks.
Today's strike targeted an AQAP training center in the Al Mahfad area of Abyan province, Xinhua reported. The remotely piloted Predators or Reapers fired three missiles at "two huts and a site used as a training center," killing three fighters and wounding four more, some seriously.
AQAP fighters collected the wounded and drove them to Azzan in Shabwa province, according to Barakish. The site that was targeted was recently featured in an AQAP propaganda video.
The Al Mahfad area is a known stronghold for AQAP. In the spring of 2012, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and leaders regrouped in the Al Mahfad area after being driven from cities such as Zinjibar, Jaar, Lawdar, and Shaqra during a Yemeni military offensive that began in the spring of 2012 [see Threat Matrix report, AQAP regroups in Abyan province]. AQAP controlled the cities in Abyan, as well as other cities and towns in neighboring Shabwa province, after launching its own offensive in 2011.
AQAP remains entrenched in the Al Mahfad area despite several Yemeni military operations that attempted to dislodge the terror group. The US launched three drone strikes in the Al Mahfad area in 2013; one in May, one in June, and one in July.
Today's strike is the first in Yemen since March 12, when US drones killed a local AQAP commander and his bodyguard in the northern province of Al Jawf.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/04/us_drone_strike_kill_25.php
Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/04/us_drone_strike_kill_25.php#ixzz2yXOnmpNj
By BILL ROGGIO & OREN ADAKI, April 1, 2014
The US killed three suspected al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters in the first drone strike in Yemen in nearly three weeks.
Today's strike targeted an AQAP training center in the Al Mahfad area of Abyan province, Xinhua reported. The remotely piloted Predators or Reapers fired three missiles at "two huts and a site used as a training center," killing three fighters and wounding four more, some seriously.
AQAP fighters collected the wounded and drove them to Azzan in Shabwa province, according to Barakish. The site that was targeted was recently featured in an AQAP propaganda video.
The Al Mahfad area is a known stronghold for AQAP. In the spring of 2012, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and leaders regrouped in the Al Mahfad area after being driven from cities such as Zinjibar, Jaar, Lawdar, and Shaqra during a Yemeni military offensive that began in the spring of 2012 [see Threat Matrix report, AQAP regroups in Abyan province]. AQAP controlled the cities in Abyan, as well as other cities and towns in neighboring Shabwa province, after launching its own offensive in 2011.
AQAP remains entrenched in the Al Mahfad area despite several Yemeni military operations that attempted to dislodge the terror group. The US launched three drone strikes in the Al Mahfad area in 2013; one in May, one in June, and one in July.
Today's strike is the first in Yemen since March 12, when US drones killed a local AQAP commander and his bodyguard in the northern province of Al Jawf.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/04/us_drone_strike_kill_25.php
Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/04/us_drone_strike_kill_25.php#ixzz2yXOnmpNj
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Drone strike in Yemen kills suspected al Qaeda militants
By Hakim Almasmari, Mohammed Jamjoom and Barbara Starr, CNN
updated 3:51 PM EDT, Sat April 19, 2014
Yemeni officials say al Qaeda operatives among the dead
Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) -- A drone strike in Yemen on Saturday killed at least 10 suspected al Qaeda militants but also inadvertently resulted in the deaths of three civilian day laborers, a high-level Yemeni government official told CNN.
The strike targeted a pickup in al-Hazemiyah district of al-Bayda province, three Yemeni Defense Ministry sources said.The militants were heading to neighboring Shabwa province, a hotbed for al Qaeda, they said.
"The truck targeted carried 11 militants. The targeting came while they were in transit after leaving a training site. Ten were killed and one was injured," the government official said on the condition of anonymity.
A civilian truck carrying five day laborers was also hit in the strike, the official said. Three died and two were wounded.
A casualty toll released earlier by the three Yemen Defense Ministry officials was slightly higher, with 12 suspected militants and three civilians reportedly killed.
"The militants were on a coordinating mission, and we have had our eyes on them for quite a while now," a senior ministry official told CNN on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to media.
Operatives targeted
A source from the region said the strike targeted three "well-known" al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives linked to a training camp in southern Yemen.
AQAP, considered the most dangerous al Qaeda affiliate, has repeatedly been targeted by drone strikes.
None of those killed in the strike was believed to be among AQAP's senior leadership, the source said. The targets of the drone strike had been closely monitored for some time during their training camp activities, the source said.
The drone strike came on the heels of the recent emergence of a video showing a large gathering of al Qaeda members in Yemen. There is no indication -- at this point -- that this strike had anything to do with the video, made last month and aired by CNN earlier this week.
"The strike today had nothing to do with the tape showing the gathering of AQAP," the government official said. "This operation was in the making for some time, as AQAP has stepped up its attacks against military targets and government officials in Bayda."
Salem al-Kashm was driving behind the civilian pickup driven by a friend when he said the strikes occurred.
"Minutes after the first attack, a second attack took place, killing three of my friends," he said.
"The drone then kept going in circles after the attack to ensure that none of the militants were able to escape."
A Defense Ministry official said, "It's unfortunate the civilians were there in the wrong time."
Drone strike in Yemen kills suspected al Qaeda militants - CNN.com
By Hakim Almasmari, Mohammed Jamjoom and Barbara Starr, CNN
updated 3:51 PM EDT, Sat April 19, 2014
Yemeni officials say al Qaeda operatives among the dead
Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) -- A drone strike in Yemen on Saturday killed at least 10 suspected al Qaeda militants but also inadvertently resulted in the deaths of three civilian day laborers, a high-level Yemeni government official told CNN.
The strike targeted a pickup in al-Hazemiyah district of al-Bayda province, three Yemeni Defense Ministry sources said.The militants were heading to neighboring Shabwa province, a hotbed for al Qaeda, they said.
"The truck targeted carried 11 militants. The targeting came while they were in transit after leaving a training site. Ten were killed and one was injured," the government official said on the condition of anonymity.
A civilian truck carrying five day laborers was also hit in the strike, the official said. Three died and two were wounded.
A casualty toll released earlier by the three Yemen Defense Ministry officials was slightly higher, with 12 suspected militants and three civilians reportedly killed.
"The militants were on a coordinating mission, and we have had our eyes on them for quite a while now," a senior ministry official told CNN on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to media.
Operatives targeted
A source from the region said the strike targeted three "well-known" al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives linked to a training camp in southern Yemen.
AQAP, considered the most dangerous al Qaeda affiliate, has repeatedly been targeted by drone strikes.
None of those killed in the strike was believed to be among AQAP's senior leadership, the source said. The targets of the drone strike had been closely monitored for some time during their training camp activities, the source said.
The drone strike came on the heels of the recent emergence of a video showing a large gathering of al Qaeda members in Yemen. There is no indication -- at this point -- that this strike had anything to do with the video, made last month and aired by CNN earlier this week.
"The strike today had nothing to do with the tape showing the gathering of AQAP," the government official said. "This operation was in the making for some time, as AQAP has stepped up its attacks against military targets and government officials in Bayda."
Salem al-Kashm was driving behind the civilian pickup driven by a friend when he said the strikes occurred.
"Minutes after the first attack, a second attack took place, killing three of my friends," he said.
"The drone then kept going in circles after the attack to ensure that none of the militants were able to escape."
A Defense Ministry official said, "It's unfortunate the civilians were there in the wrong time."
Drone strike in Yemen kills suspected al Qaeda militants - CNN.com
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Suspected drone strikes target al Qaeda in Yemen
From Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN
updated 9:01 PM EDT, Sun April 20, 2014
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/20/world/meast/yemen-drone-strike/#
Second deadly air strike in Yemen
had gathered recently to hear from Nasir al-Wuhayshi, the head of the terrorist network's Yemeni branch and the global organization's "crown prince," the official said.
"It's too early to tell how many militants were killed, but the number is at least a dozen," the official said. The targets included "foreign nationals," the official said, but he provided no details of what their nationalities were. Nor was it clear whether any high-value targets were among the dead and wounded, he said.
Yemen's state news agency SABA said three strikes targeted an al Qaeda training camp in the village of Wadi al Khila, about 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of the capital Sanaa. The fighters were "preparing to launch attacks against Yemeni and foreign interests in the area," according to a statement from the country's Supreme Security Committee.
"These strikes destroyed the training facility completely and killed both Yemeni and foreign members," it said.
The official said Sunday's raid was a joint U.S.-Yemeni operation. He would not confirm whether drones were used in the attack, but the United States is the only country known to have conducted drone strikes in Yemen -- and as a rule, U.S. officials don't comment on those strikes.
But the official said the area is so rugged and mountainous that Yemeni troops would have faced heavy losses in any ground assault. Al Qaeda operatives had fled to the area after a 2012 push by government troops, backed by the United States, he said.
Suspected drone strikes target al Qaeda in Yemen - CNN.com
From Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN
updated 9:01 PM EDT, Sun April 20, 2014
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/20/world/meast/yemen-drone-strike/#
Second deadly air strike in Yemen
had gathered recently to hear from Nasir al-Wuhayshi, the head of the terrorist network's Yemeni branch and the global organization's "crown prince," the official said.
"It's too early to tell how many militants were killed, but the number is at least a dozen," the official said. The targets included "foreign nationals," the official said, but he provided no details of what their nationalities were. Nor was it clear whether any high-value targets were among the dead and wounded, he said.
Yemen's state news agency SABA said three strikes targeted an al Qaeda training camp in the village of Wadi al Khila, about 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of the capital Sanaa. The fighters were "preparing to launch attacks against Yemeni and foreign interests in the area," according to a statement from the country's Supreme Security Committee.
"These strikes destroyed the training facility completely and killed both Yemeni and foreign members," it said.
The official said Sunday's raid was a joint U.S.-Yemeni operation. He would not confirm whether drones were used in the attack, but the United States is the only country known to have conducted drone strikes in Yemen -- and as a rule, U.S. officials don't comment on those strikes.
But the official said the area is so rugged and mountainous that Yemeni troops would have faced heavy losses in any ground assault. Al Qaeda operatives had fled to the area after a 2012 push by government troops, backed by the United States, he said.
Suspected drone strikes target al Qaeda in Yemen - CNN.com
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Yemen Strikes Target Qaeda Camps
By REUTERS, APRIL 20, 2014
By REUTERS, APRIL 20, 2014
- ADEN, Yemen — Airstrikes in southern Yemen on Sunday killed about 25 people suspected of being members of Al Qaeda, local tribal representatives said, in the second operation of its kind within two days.
Yemen’s Defense Ministry said that Sunday’s strikes were in a remote mountainous region of the south. The ministry’s website quoted an official on the High Security Committee as saying that the strikes were carried out because of information that “terrorist elements were planning to target vital civilian and military installations.”
Similar wording was used in the announcement about Saturday’s strike.
Local tribal representatives said that about 25 bodies had been transferred to nearby towns from the sites of Sunday’s attacks. They said at least three separate strikes had taken place after dawn prayers, all targeting Qaeda camps. One official said the militants targeted were among the “leading and dangerous” elements of Al Qaeda and were of different nationalities.
Witnesses said they had seen Qaeda militants dragging bodies and some wounded people out of the area.
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US targets AQAP master bomb maker in 2 strikes in Yemen
By BILL ROGGIO & OREN ADAKI, April 21, 2014
The US targeted al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's top bomb maker in one of two strikes that took place in Yemen over the past two days. Unnamed Yemeni officials have speculated that Ibrahim Hassan Tali al Asiri, who has built innovative bombs for the Yemeni terror group, may have been killed, but the reports are unconfirmed.
The strike that targeted Asiri took place after midnight last night on a highway between the districts of Markhah and Bayhan in Shabwa province, according to Barakish. The unmanned Predators or Reapers targeted a car as it traveled on the highway, and killed four AQAP fighters.
Asiri is reported to be among them, but his death has not been confirmed by AQAP or Yemeni officials. Initial reports suggest that the helicopters picked up four bodies, presumably to identify them. Although Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi sent a message of "thanks, praise, and appreciation" to the Yemeni antiterrorism unit for carrying out the strike, eyewitnesses confirmed that US drones targeted and fired on the AQAP vehicle.
US intelligence officials contacted by The Long War Journal said that Asiri is at the top of the list of the most dangerous AQAP leaders and is actively being targeted. Asiri is a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and was behind the failed Christmas Day 2009 airliner attack as well as the design for an underwear bomb that is nearly undetectable and was to be detonated on an airliner. Asiri has said that he has trained other operatives in AQAP to build bombs.
Drones target AQAP training camp in the Mahfad area
In the other strike, which took place yesterday, US drones struck an AQAP training camp in the Mahfad area of Abyan province. Reports in the Arabic press claim that more than 30 AQAP militants were killed in the strike targeting a training camp hidden in the mountainous areas between Shabwa and Abyan provinces. A source in Yemen's Security Council said the strike was carried out after Yemeni intelligence received information regarding the presence of AQAP operatives at the training camp who were actively planning to attack vital military and civilian installations.
The same Yemeni source said that AQAP operatives from various nationalities were killed in the drone strike. Local eyewitnesses said that they noticed a big gathering of suspected AQAP militants in the area of the camp . They also claimed that following the strike AQAP militants hastily collected the bodies of those killed.
Reports in the Arabic media also describe a Yemeni air force bombardment of the camp that lasted for a few hours after the drone strike.
In related news, in the evening before the strike, the Yemeni Defense Ministry announced that its forces had arrested 10 AQAP militants in Shabwa. The official statement said the 10 militants were headed to the training camp that was targeted in Mahfad.
The US also hit AQAP training camps in the Mahfad area on April 1.
The Al Mahfad area is a known stronghold for AQAP. In the spring of 2012, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and leaders regrouped in the Al Mahfad area after being driven from cities such as Zinjibar, Jaar, Lawdar, and Shaqra during a Yemeni military offensive that began in the spring of 2012 [see Threat Matrix report, AQAP regroups in Abyan province]. AQAP controlled the cities in Abyan, as well as other cities and towns in neighboring Shabwa province, after launching its own offensive in 2011.
AQAP remains entrenched in the Al Mahfad area despite several Yemeni military operations that attempted to dislodge the terror group. The US launched three drone strikes in the Al Mahfad area in 2013; one in May, one in June, and one in July.
New details emerge on April 19 strike
The US has launched three strikes in Yemen over the weekend. In the previous strike, on April 19 in the province of Baydah, 15 AQAP fighters and five civilians are reported to have been killed when the drones hit a truck as it traveled on a road linking Souma'a district to Baydah City, the provincial capital.
Local media reported that the targeted vehicle was carrying a large amount of dynamite and that the strike killed all of the fighters onboard. Reports also confirmed the deaths of at least three civilians who were riding in an adjacent vehicle at the time of the strike.
A military source told the Arabic media that prominent leaders in AQAP had been killed in the strike, such as Abu Osama Al Hasni, Akram al Hafza, Seif Mohammad Seif Abd al Rahman al Sakhra, Ali Saleh al Khabani, and Adham Ali Mohsen. AQAP has not confirmed the deaths of any senior leaders.
In related news, residents of Azzan district in neighboring Shabwa province told reporters that "elements of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have reappeared in the city." They also claimed that an Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula publication had been distributed warning local tribesmen and residents of Azzan against joining the Popular Committees.
Background on US strikes in Yemen
The US has launched 11 strikes in Yemen so far this year. Four of those strikes took place this month, four of took place in March, and three in January.
The pace of the drone strikes in Yemen decreased last year from the previous year (26 in 2013 versus 41 in 2012). The reduction in the number of strikes coincided with a speech by President Barack Obama at the National Defense University in May 2013. The strikes are being reduced as the US government is facing increasing international criticism for conducting the attacks in both Yemen and Pakistan.
The number of strikes might have been much lower in 2013 were it not for an al Qaeda plot emanating from Yemen that was uncovered by US officials in late July. The plot led the US to close down more than 20 embassies and diplomatic facilities across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The plot involved AQAP emir Nasir al Wuhayshi, who now also serves as al Qaeda's general manager.
Between July 27, after the plot was disclosed, and Aug. 10, the US launched nine strikes in Yemen; no drone strikes were reported for seven weeks prior to July 27. The burst in attacks was intended to disrupt the plot and take out AQAP's top leadership cadre and senior operatives. The US killed Kaid al Dhahab, AQAP's emir for Baydah province, during that time period.
AQAP and al Qaeda still seek to conduct attacks against the US. In a recent AQAP video featuring Nasir al Wuhayshi, who is both the emir of AQAP and al Qaeda's overall general manager, he said America remains a target.
"O brothers, the Crusader enemy is still shuffling his papers, so we must remember that we are always fighting the biggest enemy, the leaders of disbelief, and we have to overthrow those leaders, we have to remove the Cross, and the carrier of the Cross is America," Wuhayshi said.
Wuhayshi made the statement in the open to a gathering of more than 100 people.
Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/04/us_targets_aqap_mast.php#ixzz2zXUCCKI8
By BILL ROGGIO & OREN ADAKI, April 21, 2014
The US targeted al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's top bomb maker in one of two strikes that took place in Yemen over the past two days. Unnamed Yemeni officials have speculated that Ibrahim Hassan Tali al Asiri, who has built innovative bombs for the Yemeni terror group, may have been killed, but the reports are unconfirmed.
The strike that targeted Asiri took place after midnight last night on a highway between the districts of Markhah and Bayhan in Shabwa province, according to Barakish. The unmanned Predators or Reapers targeted a car as it traveled on the highway, and killed four AQAP fighters.
Asiri is reported to be among them, but his death has not been confirmed by AQAP or Yemeni officials. Initial reports suggest that the helicopters picked up four bodies, presumably to identify them. Although Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi sent a message of "thanks, praise, and appreciation" to the Yemeni antiterrorism unit for carrying out the strike, eyewitnesses confirmed that US drones targeted and fired on the AQAP vehicle.
US intelligence officials contacted by The Long War Journal said that Asiri is at the top of the list of the most dangerous AQAP leaders and is actively being targeted. Asiri is a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and was behind the failed Christmas Day 2009 airliner attack as well as the design for an underwear bomb that is nearly undetectable and was to be detonated on an airliner. Asiri has said that he has trained other operatives in AQAP to build bombs.
Drones target AQAP training camp in the Mahfad area
In the other strike, which took place yesterday, US drones struck an AQAP training camp in the Mahfad area of Abyan province. Reports in the Arabic press claim that more than 30 AQAP militants were killed in the strike targeting a training camp hidden in the mountainous areas between Shabwa and Abyan provinces. A source in Yemen's Security Council said the strike was carried out after Yemeni intelligence received information regarding the presence of AQAP operatives at the training camp who were actively planning to attack vital military and civilian installations.
The same Yemeni source said that AQAP operatives from various nationalities were killed in the drone strike. Local eyewitnesses said that they noticed a big gathering of suspected AQAP militants in the area of the camp . They also claimed that following the strike AQAP militants hastily collected the bodies of those killed.
Reports in the Arabic media also describe a Yemeni air force bombardment of the camp that lasted for a few hours after the drone strike.
In related news, in the evening before the strike, the Yemeni Defense Ministry announced that its forces had arrested 10 AQAP militants in Shabwa. The official statement said the 10 militants were headed to the training camp that was targeted in Mahfad.
The US also hit AQAP training camps in the Mahfad area on April 1.
The Al Mahfad area is a known stronghold for AQAP. In the spring of 2012, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and leaders regrouped in the Al Mahfad area after being driven from cities such as Zinjibar, Jaar, Lawdar, and Shaqra during a Yemeni military offensive that began in the spring of 2012 [see Threat Matrix report, AQAP regroups in Abyan province]. AQAP controlled the cities in Abyan, as well as other cities and towns in neighboring Shabwa province, after launching its own offensive in 2011.
AQAP remains entrenched in the Al Mahfad area despite several Yemeni military operations that attempted to dislodge the terror group. The US launched three drone strikes in the Al Mahfad area in 2013; one in May, one in June, and one in July.
New details emerge on April 19 strike
The US has launched three strikes in Yemen over the weekend. In the previous strike, on April 19 in the province of Baydah, 15 AQAP fighters and five civilians are reported to have been killed when the drones hit a truck as it traveled on a road linking Souma'a district to Baydah City, the provincial capital.
Local media reported that the targeted vehicle was carrying a large amount of dynamite and that the strike killed all of the fighters onboard. Reports also confirmed the deaths of at least three civilians who were riding in an adjacent vehicle at the time of the strike.
A military source told the Arabic media that prominent leaders in AQAP had been killed in the strike, such as Abu Osama Al Hasni, Akram al Hafza, Seif Mohammad Seif Abd al Rahman al Sakhra, Ali Saleh al Khabani, and Adham Ali Mohsen. AQAP has not confirmed the deaths of any senior leaders.
In related news, residents of Azzan district in neighboring Shabwa province told reporters that "elements of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have reappeared in the city." They also claimed that an Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula publication had been distributed warning local tribesmen and residents of Azzan against joining the Popular Committees.
Background on US strikes in Yemen
The US has launched 11 strikes in Yemen so far this year. Four of those strikes took place this month, four of took place in March, and three in January.
The pace of the drone strikes in Yemen decreased last year from the previous year (26 in 2013 versus 41 in 2012). The reduction in the number of strikes coincided with a speech by President Barack Obama at the National Defense University in May 2013. The strikes are being reduced as the US government is facing increasing international criticism for conducting the attacks in both Yemen and Pakistan.
The number of strikes might have been much lower in 2013 were it not for an al Qaeda plot emanating from Yemen that was uncovered by US officials in late July. The plot led the US to close down more than 20 embassies and diplomatic facilities across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The plot involved AQAP emir Nasir al Wuhayshi, who now also serves as al Qaeda's general manager.
Between July 27, after the plot was disclosed, and Aug. 10, the US launched nine strikes in Yemen; no drone strikes were reported for seven weeks prior to July 27. The burst in attacks was intended to disrupt the plot and take out AQAP's top leadership cadre and senior operatives. The US killed Kaid al Dhahab, AQAP's emir for Baydah province, during that time period.
AQAP and al Qaeda still seek to conduct attacks against the US. In a recent AQAP video featuring Nasir al Wuhayshi, who is both the emir of AQAP and al Qaeda's overall general manager, he said America remains a target.
"O brothers, the Crusader enemy is still shuffling his papers, so we must remember that we are always fighting the biggest enemy, the leaders of disbelief, and we have to overthrow those leaders, we have to remove the Cross, and the carrier of the Cross is America," Wuhayshi said.
Wuhayshi made the statement in the open to a gathering of more than 100 people.
Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/04/us_targets_aqap_mast.php#ixzz2zXUCCKI8
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Yemen says strikes on al-Qaida base kill 55
Yemeni forces, reportedly backed by U.S. drone strikes, hit al-Qaida militants for a second straight day Monday in what Yemen officials said was an assault on a major base of the terror group hidden in the remote southern mountains.
By AHMED AL-HAJ, The Associated Press
SANAA, Yemen — Yemeni forces, reportedly backed by U.S. drone strikes, hit al-Qaida militants for a second straight day Monday in what Yemen officials said was an assault on a major base of the terror group hidden in the remote southern mountains.
The government said 55 militants were killed.
The sprawling base was a rare instance of a permanent infrastructure set up by al-Qaida’s branch in the country, Yemeni security officials said.
Built over the past months, it includes a training ground, storehouses for weapons and food and vehicles used by the group to launch attacks, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release details to the media.
The assault appeared to be a significant escalation in the U.S. and Yemeni campaign against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the terror group’s powerful branch in the southern Arabian nation.
The United States has been striking al-Qaida positions in the country heavily with drone strokes the past two years, trying to cripple the group after it was driven out of several cities it took over in 2011.
But the group has proved highly resilient, spreading around the country and working from mountain areas.
In a show of the group’s boldness, a video recently posted on Islamic militant websites showed the group’s leader Nasser al-Wahishi meeting openly with a gathering of dozens of militants in the southern province of Abyan.
The base is in a remote mountain valley called Wadi al-Khayala in the rugged Mahfad region at the border between Abyan, and the neighboring provinces of Shabwa, and al-Bayda.
The first strikes came Sunday in an assault a high-level government security committee said was an attack on training grounds for the group.
Yemeni Interior Ministry said it lasted for several hours. Yemeni officials and tribal leaders said new strikes, believed to include U.S. drone hits, came Monday. Another airstrike Saturday in al-Bayda killed at least nine militants.
The ministry said in a statement Monday that the strikes the day before had killed at least 55 militants, including three prominent figures.
It identified the three as Mohammed Salem Abed Rabbo al-Mashibi, Fawaz Hussein al-Mahrak, Saleh Said Mahrak. It said identification of the dead was continuing, and that non-Yemeni Arab fighters were among those killed.
In Washington, a Pentagon spokesman said he could not comment on any specific actions.
Yemen says strikes on al-Qaida base kill 55 | Nation & World | The Seattle Times
Yemeni forces, reportedly backed by U.S. drone strikes, hit al-Qaida militants for a second straight day Monday in what Yemen officials said was an assault on a major base of the terror group hidden in the remote southern mountains.
By AHMED AL-HAJ, The Associated Press
SANAA, Yemen — Yemeni forces, reportedly backed by U.S. drone strikes, hit al-Qaida militants for a second straight day Monday in what Yemen officials said was an assault on a major base of the terror group hidden in the remote southern mountains.
The government said 55 militants were killed.
The sprawling base was a rare instance of a permanent infrastructure set up by al-Qaida’s branch in the country, Yemeni security officials said.
Built over the past months, it includes a training ground, storehouses for weapons and food and vehicles used by the group to launch attacks, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release details to the media.
The assault appeared to be a significant escalation in the U.S. and Yemeni campaign against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the terror group’s powerful branch in the southern Arabian nation.
The United States has been striking al-Qaida positions in the country heavily with drone strokes the past two years, trying to cripple the group after it was driven out of several cities it took over in 2011.
But the group has proved highly resilient, spreading around the country and working from mountain areas.
In a show of the group’s boldness, a video recently posted on Islamic militant websites showed the group’s leader Nasser al-Wahishi meeting openly with a gathering of dozens of militants in the southern province of Abyan.
The base is in a remote mountain valley called Wadi al-Khayala in the rugged Mahfad region at the border between Abyan, and the neighboring provinces of Shabwa, and al-Bayda.
The first strikes came Sunday in an assault a high-level government security committee said was an attack on training grounds for the group.
Yemeni Interior Ministry said it lasted for several hours. Yemeni officials and tribal leaders said new strikes, believed to include U.S. drone hits, came Monday. Another airstrike Saturday in al-Bayda killed at least nine militants.
The ministry said in a statement Monday that the strikes the day before had killed at least 55 militants, including three prominent figures.
It identified the three as Mohammed Salem Abed Rabbo al-Mashibi, Fawaz Hussein al-Mahrak, Saleh Said Mahrak. It said identification of the dead was continuing, and that non-Yemeni Arab fighters were among those killed.
In Washington, a Pentagon spokesman said he could not comment on any specific actions.
Yemen says strikes on al-Qaida base kill 55 | Nation & World | The Seattle Times
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Did Yemen, U.S. kill al Qaeda's chief bomb maker?
By Mohammed Jamjoom, Barbara Starr and Holly Yan, CNN
updated 8:09 AM EDT, Wed April 23, 2014
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/23/world/meast/yemen-terror-operation/#
U.S. aids Yemeni counterterror mission
2009 underwear bomb plot and printer bombs dispatched to the United States in 2010 -- almost worked.
He even sacrificed his younger brother, a suicide bomber, in a failed attempt to kill Saudi Arabia's head of counterterrorism in 2009.
Al-Asiri constructed a bomb like none al Qaeda had produced before: a device designed to be inserted into the rectum of a suicide bomber containing around 100 grams of PETN, a difficult-to-detect white powdery explosive.
In the end, only his younger brother was killed.
A recently released video showed about 100 suspected al Qaeda members meeting at a training camp in Yemen.
In the middle of the video, the man known as al Qaeda's crown prince, Nasir al-Wuhayshi, appears brazenly out in the open, greeting followers in Yemen.
Al-Wuhayshi is the No. 2 leader of al Qaeda globally and the head of AQAP.
In a speech to the group, al-Wuhayshi makes it clear that he's going after the United States, saying: "We must eliminate the cross. ... The bearer of the cross is America!"
Retired U.S. Gen. Richard Myers said the video raised serious concerns.
"If that's true, then you have to go after them," Myers told CNN's "The Situation Room." "I don't think that's sufficient in the end to defeat al Qaeda, but I think it's important that we go after them in this case."
A U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said no Americans took part in combat on the ground, but U.S. forces did wear night vision gear and flew Yemeni forces to a remote, mountainous spot in southern Yemen.
The Yemeni helicopters that the U.S. personnel flew were Russian-made, which helped to minimize the U.S. footprint during the operation.
And CIA drones are suspected to have targeted al Qaeda fighters, weapons locations and a training camp.
Pentagon spokesman Adm. John Kirby declined to detail the U.S. involvement in the latest anti-terror operation, though he did highlight its partnership with Yemen.
"We continue to work with the Yemeni government and the Yemeni armed forces to help them improve their counterterrorism capabilities inside the country," Kirby said. "That work continues, and it will continue."
Did Yemen, U.S. kill al Qaeda's chief bomb maker? - CNN.com
By Mohammed Jamjoom, Barbara Starr and Holly Yan, CNN
updated 8:09 AM EDT, Wed April 23, 2014
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/23/world/meast/yemen-terror-operation/#
U.S. aids Yemeni counterterror mission
2009 underwear bomb plot and printer bombs dispatched to the United States in 2010 -- almost worked.
He even sacrificed his younger brother, a suicide bomber, in a failed attempt to kill Saudi Arabia's head of counterterrorism in 2009.
Al-Asiri constructed a bomb like none al Qaeda had produced before: a device designed to be inserted into the rectum of a suicide bomber containing around 100 grams of PETN, a difficult-to-detect white powdery explosive.
In the end, only his younger brother was killed.
A recently released video showed about 100 suspected al Qaeda members meeting at a training camp in Yemen.
In the middle of the video, the man known as al Qaeda's crown prince, Nasir al-Wuhayshi, appears brazenly out in the open, greeting followers in Yemen.
Al-Wuhayshi is the No. 2 leader of al Qaeda globally and the head of AQAP.
In a speech to the group, al-Wuhayshi makes it clear that he's going after the United States, saying: "We must eliminate the cross. ... The bearer of the cross is America!"
Retired U.S. Gen. Richard Myers said the video raised serious concerns.
"If that's true, then you have to go after them," Myers told CNN's "The Situation Room." "I don't think that's sufficient in the end to defeat al Qaeda, but I think it's important that we go after them in this case."
A U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said no Americans took part in combat on the ground, but U.S. forces did wear night vision gear and flew Yemeni forces to a remote, mountainous spot in southern Yemen.
The Yemeni helicopters that the U.S. personnel flew were Russian-made, which helped to minimize the U.S. footprint during the operation.
And CIA drones are suspected to have targeted al Qaeda fighters, weapons locations and a training camp.
Pentagon spokesman Adm. John Kirby declined to detail the U.S. involvement in the latest anti-terror operation, though he did highlight its partnership with Yemen.
"We continue to work with the Yemeni government and the Yemeni armed forces to help them improve their counterterrorism capabilities inside the country," Kirby said. "That work continues, and it will continue."
Did Yemen, U.S. kill al Qaeda's chief bomb maker? - CNN.com
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AQAP notes death of local leader in drone strike
By BILL ROGGIO, May 3, 2014
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula released a statement from a local leader in southern Yemen who was killed in a US drone strike two weeks ago.
The statement by Ali bin Lakraa' al Kazimi, who is described as "the former leader of its cell" in the Al Mahfad district in Abyan province, was released by "Ansar al Sharia News" yesterday and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group. Ansar al Sharia is AQAP's political front in Yemen.
Kazimi was killed in a US drone strike that targeted an AQAP training camp in Al Mahfad on April 20. More than 30 AQAP fighters are said to have been killed in the drone strike and accompanying Yemeni airstrikes.
A Yemeni official told The Long War Journal that the April 20 airstrikes in Al Mahfad were intended to "destroy the [AQAP] base and sites in Al Mahfad, deter their recruiting and training capability," and kill "KSA [Saudi] fighters who returned from Syria." The Yemeni official said that "dozens [of Saudis have] infiltrated the border and joined AQAP."
In Kazimi's posthumous statement, he railed against the "Americanized Yemeni army, which wants to insult and humiliate the tribes in accordance with the guidelines of the Americans," according to the SITE translation.
This is a common argument made by AQAP in an effort to turn Yemeni tribesmen and soldiers against the government. For instance, in a video released by AQAP in October 2013 featuring suicide attacks, a scene was included in which an AQAP officer lectures captured Yemeni soldiers.
"Do you know that you and the Americans are in the same trench? The [American] spying drones are in the sky and you are on the ground," an AQAP leader tells the group of Yemeni soldiers in the video.
"What is the difference between you and the Americans? Haven't you thought about this issue? Haven't you considered yourselves and the Americans in one front? When Americans bombard our brothers with unmanned drones, who collect their bodies? It's you the soldiers. You take their bodies. You and the Americans are in one front," the AQAP leader chides the Yemeni soldiers.
Kazimi offered "condolences" to the families of the Ba Kazim tribe who have been killed in US drone strikes, and called on "all the free sons of the Ba Kazim tribe to stand in line alongside their mujahideen brothers."
The Yemeni military has recently launched a new offensive against AQAP in southern and central Yemen. Military forces have massed in Abyan and Shabwa provinces in the south, and in the central province of Baydah. All three provinces are known havens for AQAP. [See LWJ report, Yemen expands southern offensive against AQAP.]
Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/05/aqap_notes_death_of.php#ixzz30hwbzdCR
By BILL ROGGIO, May 3, 2014
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula released a statement from a local leader in southern Yemen who was killed in a US drone strike two weeks ago.
The statement by Ali bin Lakraa' al Kazimi, who is described as "the former leader of its cell" in the Al Mahfad district in Abyan province, was released by "Ansar al Sharia News" yesterday and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group. Ansar al Sharia is AQAP's political front in Yemen.
Kazimi was killed in a US drone strike that targeted an AQAP training camp in Al Mahfad on April 20. More than 30 AQAP fighters are said to have been killed in the drone strike and accompanying Yemeni airstrikes.
A Yemeni official told The Long War Journal that the April 20 airstrikes in Al Mahfad were intended to "destroy the [AQAP] base and sites in Al Mahfad, deter their recruiting and training capability," and kill "KSA [Saudi] fighters who returned from Syria." The Yemeni official said that "dozens [of Saudis have] infiltrated the border and joined AQAP."
In Kazimi's posthumous statement, he railed against the "Americanized Yemeni army, which wants to insult and humiliate the tribes in accordance with the guidelines of the Americans," according to the SITE translation.
This is a common argument made by AQAP in an effort to turn Yemeni tribesmen and soldiers against the government. For instance, in a video released by AQAP in October 2013 featuring suicide attacks, a scene was included in which an AQAP officer lectures captured Yemeni soldiers.
"Do you know that you and the Americans are in the same trench? The [American] spying drones are in the sky and you are on the ground," an AQAP leader tells the group of Yemeni soldiers in the video.
"What is the difference between you and the Americans? Haven't you thought about this issue? Haven't you considered yourselves and the Americans in one front? When Americans bombard our brothers with unmanned drones, who collect their bodies? It's you the soldiers. You take their bodies. You and the Americans are in one front," the AQAP leader chides the Yemeni soldiers.
Kazimi offered "condolences" to the families of the Ba Kazim tribe who have been killed in US drone strikes, and called on "all the free sons of the Ba Kazim tribe to stand in line alongside their mujahideen brothers."
The Yemeni military has recently launched a new offensive against AQAP in southern and central Yemen. Military forces have massed in Abyan and Shabwa provinces in the south, and in the central province of Baydah. All three provinces are known havens for AQAP. [See LWJ report, Yemen expands southern offensive against AQAP.]
Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/05/aqap_notes_death_of.php#ixzz30hwbzdCR
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» U.S. Government Backs Libyan Al-Qaeda While Hyping Terror Attacks Inside U.S. Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!
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