Al-Qaeda‘s Yemeni faction declared the demise of its chief, though the circumstances surrounding the event remain shrouded in mystery.
Khalid Batarfi’s body, swathed in a funeral shroud, was prominently displayed in a video released by AQAP, alongside the group’s flag.
Despite a lack of specifics regarding the cause of death, the wording of the statement, read by a senior figure, steered clear of insinuating a fate similar to that of his predecessor.
Batarfi, aged in his 40s and hailing from Saudi Arabia, assumed leadership of AQAP in 2020. The US government branded him a global terrorist in 2018, triggering the offer of a $5 million (£3.9 million) reward for his apprehension.
The video, circulated on the organization’s social media channels on Sunday, featured AQAP official Abu Khubaib al-Sudani delivering a statement that notably omitted any details regarding Batarfi’s death.
However, Monitoring jihadist media analyst Mina al-Lami said he described him as one “who Allah took” – a phrase mostly used to describe a person who passes away, rather than someone who is killed.
Sudani also announced that AQAP’s shura council had chosen Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki as the group’s new chief.
UN experts said in a report last July that Batarfi and Awlaki led “conflicting wings in the group”, with the latter enjoying the support of some tribes. AQAP was once considered by the US to be the most active and dangerous regional affiliate of al-Qaeda.
It carried out a series of deadly attacks in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, as well as sophisticated airline bomb plots targeting the US that were foiled. The group also claimed it was behind the 2015 attacks in France, in which 17 people were killed, and a 2019 attack in the US which left three dead.
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According to UN experts, AQAP remains a significant concern in Yemen and the surrounding area, yet it is encountering challenges and experiencing leadership losses as a result of ongoing counter-terrorism efforts.
Their documentation highlighted a drone strike occurring in February 2023, targeting and eliminating Hamad al-Tamimi, a high-ranking leader, and another individual responsible for media and financial management.
The specialists noted the challenge in accurately gauging the exact number of AQAP fighters due to their integration within local tribes, but it is approximated to be in the low thousands.
The majority of top leaders were thought to be located in the Wadi Ubaydah area within the central province of Marib, with others speculated to be in Hadramawt province to the east, as well as in Shabwa and Abyan to the south, according to their assessments.
In Shabwa and Abyan, the group’s fighters maintain a significant presence, employing hit-and-run tactics to target Yemeni government forces and militias associated with the separatist Southern Transitional Council.