Al-Qaeda in Yemen announces death of its leader, Khalid Batarfi
Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch has announced the death of its leader, Khalid Batarfi, according to SITE Intelligence Group, a US-based non-governmental organisation that tracks jihadist group activity.
SITE Intelligence Group said Batarfi's body appeared in a video released by the terrorist group in the Arabian Peninsula (AQPA) wrapped in a flag bearing the organisation's name. The time and cause of death is unknown.
Batarfi was appointed in February 2020 as the leader of Al-Qaeda in Yemen, the most dangerous faction of the extremist network. The former leader, who replaced Qassim al-Rimi after his death in a US attack in Yemen, was designated by Washington as a "global terrorist" in 2018.
Batarfi himself fought alongside the Taliban against US and Northern Alliance forces in 2001 in Afghanistan, where he trained years earlier at Al-Qaeda's Camp Al-Farouq.
AQAP announces the demise of its leader, Khaled Batarfi. pic.twitter.com/0MkWtnF2ri
— Ali Al-Sakani | علي السكني (@Alsakaniali) March 10, 2024
Years later, Batarfi continued to threaten to launch attacks against the US - especially after Washington announced the relocation of its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem - as well as its interests in the region. In response, the US increased its pressure on Batarfi, offering $5 million for information on the terrorist.
Following Batarfi's death, Al-Qaeda in Yemen has appointed as its new leader Saad Atef al-Awlaki, who last appeared in a video released in February 2023 urging Sunni tribes to join AQAP.
Al Qaïda dans la Péninsule Arabique (#AQPA) annonce dans un enregistrement vidéo la mort de son chef, Khalid Batarfi, et son remplacement par Sa’ad bin Atef al-Awlaki, membre de la choura d’AQPA pic.twitter.com/ciFGAf8Uvx
— Jean-Charles Brisard (@JcBrisard) March 10, 2024
Taking advantage of the chaos in Yemen due to the war that began in 2014 between the Yemeni government and the Iranian-backed Houthi militia, the terrorist organisation has gained popularity in various parts of the country, carrying out attacks against both Houthis and government forces.
In addition to attacks in Yemen, the extremist group was responsible for the attack on the French magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015 and the shooting at a US naval base in Florida in 2019.
