Senior AQAP leader killed in US raid in central Yemen

What? No where to run?  No where to hide?

Big downside to this is that America lost one of it's heroes in the raid.  My thoughts and prayers go out to that soldier's family.

The story comes from The Long War Journal.

Senior AQAP leader killed in US raid in central Yemen

An American soldier was killed and three more were injured during a raid in central Yemen that killed a senior Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) leader and 13 other fighters. A number of civilians may have also been killed or wounded in the fighting.

Details of the raid are still emerging. According to Reuters, US special operations forces targeted the home of senior AQAP leader Abdulrauf al Dhahab in the remote district of Yakla. The district is in the central province of Al Baydah, a focal point of US military operations over the past month. Officials told the wire service that warplanes struck Abdulrauf’s home, then US troops descended from helicopters and clashed with local fighters. American helicopters destroyed other homes as the fighting intensified and the troops withdrew.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the raid against al Qaeda and said that 14 AQAP fighters and one US soldier were killed during the raid. Three more troops were wounded in the fighting, and another soldier was injured as a helicopter had to make a “hard landing.”

The reason for the helicopter crash was not disclosed. CENTCOM said that the helicopter was “intentionally destroyed in place” because it could not fly. AQAP claimed that “the mujahideen shot down an American Apache,” according to a statement obtained by the SITE Intelligence Group.

During the raid on Adbulrauf’s home, according to CENTCOM, American forces seized “information that will likely provide insight into the planning of future terror plots.”

AQAP has vacillated on its reports of civilian casualties. The group first claimed: “Only women and children were killed in the raid together with some tribal leaders who have no connections to Al-Qaedah.” Then AQAP confirmed that Abdulrauf was killed in the raid and described him as a “martyr” and “holy warrior,” Reuters reported. Yemeni officials claimed civilians, including 10 women and three children, were among 30 people killed.

According to jihadi social media sites, the eight year-old daughter of Anwar al Awlaki, a radical cleric who was killed by the US in 2011, was among those killed. Jihadis affiliated with AQAP released a graphic photo set purportedly showing the bodies of multiple children and other civilians killed during the operation.

The raid in central Yemen is the first of its kind by US forces since 2014, when US special operations soldiers attempted to free hostages held by the terror group.

The US has stepped up its targeting of AQAP in Al Baydah province, which has become a hub for AQAP. All five American strikes that have been reported against AQAP in Yemen this year have taken place in the province. Seven of the last nine strikes reported since the end of Nov. 2016 have occurred in Al Baydah. [See FDD’s Long War Journal report, Charting the data for US airstrikes in Yemen, 2002 – 2017.]

Abdulrauf al Dhahab’s family members have been key players in AQAP

Abdulrauf has been on the radar of US intelligence in the past. The US has targeted Abdulrauf, whose family has held key positions within AQAP, at least one time in the past five years. On Sept. 9, 2012, a US drone targeted him as he was traveling in a car near the town of Rada in Al Baydah. He survived the strike. [See Threat Matrix report, US drones targeted local AQAP leader in Yemen.]

Abdulrauf’s brothers – Tariq, Kaid, and Nabil – have all held key leadership positions within AQAP. The Dhahabs were brothers-in-law of Anwar al Awlaki, the US citizen who served as a senior al Qaeda operational commander and ideologue.

Tariq seized control of Rada in Jan. 2012. He released a videotape in which he swore allegiance to Ayman al Zawahiri and al Qaeda, saying “the Islamic Caliphate is coming.” His fighters flew the terror group’s banner over the town’s citadel. In Feb. 2012, Tariq abdicated control of Rada to local tribal leaders, including his brother Hazam, after they threatened to launch an offensive to retake the town. Later that month, Hazam killed Tariq. Tariq’s followers then retaliated and killed Hazam.

After Tariq’s death, Kaid and Nabil took control of AQAP’s operations in Al Baydah province. They were targeted by a US drone strike on May 28, 2012, but survived.

Kaid served as AQAP’s emir for Al Baydah after the death of Tariq and established a training camp for the terror group. The US killed Kaid in a drone strike in Aug. 2013 in Al Baydah.

The US killed Nabil, who became the emir for Al Baydah after Kaid’s death, in a Nov. 2014 drone strike. The bombing also killed Shawki Ali Ahmed al Badani, an AQAP leader who was involved in the 2013 plot that forced the US to close more than one dozen diplomatic facilities across the world [See FDD’s Long War Journal report, Wanted AQAP leader involved in embassies plot, provincial emir killed in US drone strike.]

The US military has justified strikes and raids against AQAP by stating that the group remains a significant threat to America and its allies. AQAP has plotted multiple attacks agains the US, including sophisticated attempts to blow up airliners.

US targeted AQAP operatives in 4 airstrikes in July

The story comes from The Long War Journal.

US targeted AQAP operatives in 4 airstrikes in July

The US military launched at least four airstrikes against al Qaeda’s network in Yemen during the month of July, according to statements released by US Central command (CENTCOM). Eleven members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) were killed in the strikes, all which took place in the province of Abyan.

CENTCOM announced the four strikes in separate statements that were released on July 8 and Aug. 2. The US military has begun to release information about “counterterrorism strikes outside areas of active hostilities” since President Obama directed the military and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to increase transparency on operations against jihadist groups outside of Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. [See LWJ report, US government releases data on ‘counterterrorism strikes outside areas of active hostilities’.]

According to CENTCOM, the four US strikes took place on July 1 (two AQAP fighters killed), July 4 (two AQAP fighters killed), July 8 (one AQAP fighter killed), and July 16 (six AQAP fighters killed). Two of the four strikes (July 1 and 4) were identified by CENTCOM as taking place in Shabwa province. The other two strikes (July 8 and 16) took place “near central Yemen,” which CENTCOM has previously identified as Shabwa, a province that is in southern and central Yemen and is a known AQAP stronghold. AFP reported that the July 16 strike took place in Shabwa.

No senior or mid-level AQAP leaders or operatives were reported to have been killed in the July counterterrorism operations in Yemen. According to CENTCOM, the US has launched 12 airstrikes against AQAP in Yemen this year.

However, The Long War Journal has recorded 22 airstrikes against AQAP in Yemen in 2016. This discrepancy may be due to the fact that CENTCOM may not have released all of its data. It is also possible that the CIA instead executed some of the airstrikes, or that strikes attributed in the press to the US military were conducted by Saudi Arabia.

The US has ramped up attacks in Yemen this year after reducing the number from its peak of 41 in 2012, when AQAP controlled significant territory in the south. The operations were halved (26 in 2013, 23 each in 2014 and 2015) until AQAP went back on the offensive and took control of large areas in southern Yemen beginning by the end of 2015. [See LWJ report, Charting the data for US airstrikes in Yemen, 2002 – 2016.]

AQAP a “significant threat”

The US military justified the strikes by noting that AQAP remains a “significant threat” to the United States and its allies.

“AQAP remains a significant threat to the region, the United States and beyond,” CENTCOM noted in both the July 8 and Aug. 2 press releases. “Al Qaeda’s presence has a destabilizing effect on Yemen; it is using the unrest in Yemen to provide a haven from which to plan future attacks against our allies as well as the US and its interests.”

“The U.S. will not relent in its mission to degrade, disrupt and destroy al Qaeda and its remnants,” the CENTCOM statements continued. “We remain committed to defeating AQAP and denying it safe haven regardless of its location. Strikes conducted by the US in Yemen continue to diminish AQAP’s presence in the region.”

CENTCOM’s statement is at odds with President Barack Obama’s official policy of using drone and conventional airstrikes only as a last resort. In his 2014 speech at West Point, President Barack Obama said that the US would launch airstrikes “only when we face a continuing, imminent threat” from terrorist groups. However, CENTCOM’s statement indicates the airstrikes are part of a broader effort to “degrade, disrupt and destroy al Qaeda.”

AQAP is one of al Qaeda’s most prominent branches, and has hosted some of al Qaeda’s top leaders. The US killed Nasir al Wuhayshi, al Qaeda’s last general manager, in a drone strike in June 2015. In addition to serving as al Qaeda’s general manager, he was also the emir of AQAP. His death and the death of other senior al Qaeda leaders, such as deputy general manager Nasser bin Ali al Ansi, did not prevent AQAP from overrunning much of southern Yemen in 2015 up until early 2016.

AQAP controls areas of central and southern Yemen despite both US drone and conventional strikes. AQAP is known to operate training camps in Yemen, and claims to do so to this day. In mid-July, AQAP touted its Hamza al Zinjibari Camp, which trains its “special forces.” Zinjibari was an AQAP military field commander who was killed in a US drone strike in February 2016.

The US military targets AQAP with the approval of Yemen’s government in exile. The government was forced to flee the capital of Sana’a after Houthi rebels overran it and several provinces in north and central Yemen.

Joint Operation of Yemen's Military and U.S. Drones Destroys Al Qaeda Camp, 55 Jihadis Killed

Oh man...any day you can report that 55 al Qaeda jihadis have been turned into red goo is one damn good day.

The story comes from Times of India.

55 al-Qaida militants killed in Yemen


SANAA, Yemen: Yemen's interior ministry says 55 al-Qaida militants were killed in an hours-long series of strikes on a training camp operated by the group in the country's south.

The statement on Monday said three senior members were among those killed, without elaborating. It said the identification process for those killed is continuing.

The operation, which kicked off Sunday and is believed to have involved US drones, targeted a sprawling training camp of al-Qaida in the rugged mountains of Mahfad between Abyan, Shabwa and al-Bayda provinces.

Security officials said the camp's infrastructure was destroyed.

Washington considers Yemen's al-Qaida branch to be the most active in the world.

U.S Predator Drone In Yemen Kills 15 Al Qaeda In One Vehicle

It's not "the BUCK stops here" but rather, "the BUS stops here"... as 15 al Qaeda inside of Yemen are nothing but goo now that a pair of American hellfires fired from a U.S. drone took out there vehicle.

Yes, that is 15 dead.

The story comes from DAWN.

Drone kills 15 'Qaeda', three civilians in Yemen: security


SANAA: A drone strike Saturday killed 15 Al Qaeda suspects and three civilians in Yemen's central Baida province, a stronghold of the extremist group, a security official said.

The jihadists were travelling in a vehicle towards the southern Shabwa province, witnesses said. The three civilians were passing by in another car.

The United States is the only country that operates drones in Yemen, but officials rarely discuss the covert programme.

Last month, Yemen's President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi defended the use of drones against Al Qaeda in his country, which has killed dozens of militants in a sharply intensified campaign over the past year.

Drone strikes “have greatly helped in limiting Al Qaeda activities, despite some mistakes which we are sorry about,” Hadi told the pan-Arab Al-Hayat daily.

The drone programme has come under criticism from human rights activists concerned over civilian casualties.

The United Nations said 16 civilians were killed and at least 10 wounded when two separate wedding processions were targeted in December.

The victims had been mistakenly identified as members of Al Qaeda, it quoted local security officials as saying at the time.

Following the deaths, Yemen's parliament voted for a ban on drone strikes, but analysts say lawmakers are unlikely to be able to halt the US campaign.

The United States has defended the drone campaign, which allows it to target Al Qaeda without the use of ground forces in lawless areas where authorities cannot or will not act against the group.

Yemen is the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden and the home base of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which has been linked to a number of failed attacks on the US homeland.

The group has taken advantage of the weakening of the central government since 2011, when a popular uprising erupted that eventually forced president Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down after 33 years in power.

Yemen's al-Qaida leader vows to attack America in new video

Just think if the world hadn't done a 180 and now all love us because Barack Hussein Obama is our President.

The story comes from Times of India.

Yemen's al-Qaida leader vows to attack America in new video


DUBAI: The leader of al-Qaida's wing in Yemen has vowed to attack the United States, in a video apparently showing a gathering of the group celebrating a mass jailbreak of fighters.

In February, attackers mounted a bomb, grenade and gun assault on the main prison in Sanaa in which 29 inmates, including 19 jailed for terrorism-related crimes, escaped.

The 15-minute video, dated March 2014 and posted on a website used by Islamists, shows masked men waving al-Qaida's black flag and celebrating the arrival of the freed prisoners.

Its authenticity could not be independently verified.

"The Crusader enemy, dear brothers, still possesses cards which he moves around. We have to remember that we are always fighting the biggest enemy," says a man speaking in the open in a mountainous area, whom the video identifies as its leader Nasser al-Wuhaishi.

"We have to remove the cross, (and) the bearer of the cross, America," said Wuhaishi, who appeared with his face uncovered, wearing a T-shirt and sporting a dagger common among Yemeni men.

The video, entitled "Images from the reception of the freed prisoners from Sanaa's central prison," included testimony from fighters involved in the jailbreak.

"We planned that we would need 10 hand grenades," said a man identified as Munir al-Bouni.

Another man said: "Once you got out, you turned right and the guys were waiting."

Largest gathering in Yemen

Abdulrazzaq al-Jamal, a journalist who has interviewed members of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), said it was the largest known gathering of al-Qaida in Yemen.

"It included about 400 people, and these are not all the members of the group. This gathering is a confirmation that al-Qaida is gaining strength and influence," he told Reuters.

Formed in 2009, AQAP has attacked military targets, tourists and diplomats in Yemen and taken over territory for long periods.

A US state department spokeswoman said in response to the video that it was "in no way breaking news that AQAP is a significant threat to the United States, the people of Yemen, to other people in the region and around the world."

Since 2009, the group had made several attempts to attack the United States and had carried out a number of attacks inside Yemen, Marie Harf told a regular briefing.

"I don't think we can make generalizations about their strength based on one video, quite frankly. We know they've been gaining in strength. ... So, I don't think this increases our concern, because quite frankly, our concern was already incredibly high."

Harf said it was interesting that Wuhaishi was not only head of AQAP, but was now number two of core al-Qaida, showing that the main body had decentralized as a result of US successes against it in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The video showed men arriving in white pickup trucks and others greeting Wuhaishi. Others carried rifles, and some sat on the ground drinking juice. Some spoke or sang through microphones and loudspeakers.

US drone attacks have killed several suspected AQAP figures, including Anwar al-Awlaki, a US-born Islamist cleric accused of links to a plot to bomb a Detroit-bound airliner in 2009 and US cargo planes in 2010.

"Al-Qaida will gain strength as there continues to be division and weakness in security performance," said Ali al-Sarari, political adviser to Prime Minister Mohammed Salem Basindwa.

"The last appearance (the video) shows that Yemen is confronting a dangerous challenge. And if the security performance continues in this manner, then Yemen will face an even bigger failure than what it has faced in the past."

'Al-Qaida attack' kills 20 Yemen soldiers

From Times of India.

'Al-Qaida attack' kills 20 Yemen soldiers


ADEN: Gunmen killed 20 Yemeni soldiers in a dawn attack on a checkpoint on Monday, most of them in their sleep, in the latest in a wave of deadly violence blamed on al-Qaida.

The assault came in the eastern province of Hadramawt where the security forces have suffered repeated losses which prompted President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi to fire his interior minister earlier this month.

"Twenty soldiers were killed in the armed attack on an army checkpoint" near Reida, 135 kilometres (85 miles) east of the provincial capital Mukalla, the official Saba news agency reported.

The assailants drove up to the checkpoint in a convoy of vehicles, raking the soldiers on duty with automatic weapons before hurling grenades at an adjacent tent where the majority of the contingent were asleep, a military source told AFP.

The attack "bore all the hallmarks of al-Qaida," the source added. The global jihadist network's Yemen branch, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), is viewed by Washington as its most dangerous and has claimed repeated deadly attacks, some of them in the heart of the capital Sanaa.

A military helicopter landed at the scene of the attack in the middle of the day to recover the bodies of the slain soldiers while a fighter aircraft patrolled overhead, witnesses said.

New interior minister Abdo Tareb ordered the province's security chief General Fahmi Mahrus and its special forces commander detained for questioning over how the attackers had been able to overwhelm the checkpoint, Saba added.

Tareb was appointed on March 8 when President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi fired his predecessor Abdelqader Qahtan for failing to improve the "below-par" performance of the security forces.

Despite repeated attempts by the army to crush AQAP in its strongholds in the east and south, its militants have carried out repeated deadly attacks on the security forces.

On March 18, a suspected al-Qaida suicide bomber blew up a vehicle at a military intelligence headquarters outside the southern port city of Aden, killing a guard and wounding 13 others.

The attack came two days after three suspected al-Qaida militants, one a Saudi, were killed in the southern province of Shabwa when a car bomb they were preparing apparently detonated prematurely.

Residents of Reida said they had heard US drones flying over the area in the two days before the attack on the checkpoint, although there had been no strikes.

The United States has launched repeated drone strikes on al-Qaida targets in Yemen in support of the army's campaign against the jihadists.

Dozens of militants have been killed in a sharply intensified campaign over the past year.

A Friday drone strike in al-Jawf province in the northeast killed a local al-Qaida commander and his bodyguard, a tribal source said.

The drone war has triggered criticism from human rights activists, who say it has also killed many innocent civilians.

The United Nations said 16 civilians were killed and at least 10 wounded when two separate wedding processions were hit in December.

The victims had been mistakenly identified as members of al-Qaida, the UN quoted local security officials as saying at the time.

Following the deaths, the Yemeni parliament voted for a ban on drone strikes, but lawmakers have limited powers over security policy.

The United States says that use of the unmanned aircraft is an essential part of its "war on terror".

AQAP took advantage of a weakening of central government control during a 2011 uprising that forced veteran president Ali Abdullah Saleh from power to seize large swathes of southern and eastern Yemen.

The army has since regained control of most of the region's main towns but the jihadists remain active in the countryside.

US drones kill 3 AQAP fighters in eastern Yemen

It's never a good day for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen when American drones are flying overhead.  Never.

The story comes from The Long War Journal.

US drones kill 3 AQAP fighters in eastern Yemen


The US killed two al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives in a drone strike today in an eastern province in Yemen where the terror group has stepped up its activities.

The remotely piloted strike aircraft fired several missiles at a vehicle as it traveled in the Al Qutn area of Hadramout, Reuters reported. The identity of those killed was not disclosed; a Yemeni intelligence official told the news agency that the bodies were burned beyond recognition.

The target of today's strike was not disclosed. No senior AQAP commanders or operatives are reported to have been killed at this time. AQAP has not released a statement on the attack.

Today's strike is the first reported in Yemen since Nov. 19, when three AQAP fighters were killed in the Ghayl Bawazir area of Hadramout.

Hadramout is the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden's family, and the province has become an AQAP bastion over the past several years. In May, the Yemeni government claimed it foiled a plot by AQAP to establish an Islamic emirate in the Ghayl Bawazir area.

In 2012, the US stepped up drone strikes against AQAP in Hadramout. Prior to May 2012, there were zero US drone strikes in the province. From mid-May until the end of 2012, the US launched seven attacks in Hadramout. Seven of the 42 drone strikes in Yemen in 2012, or 17%, took place in the province. And so far this year, five of the 24 strikes in Yemen, or 21%, have occurred in Hadramout.

Background on US strikes in Yemen

Today's strike is the first in Yemen since AQAP penetrated security at Yemen's Ministry of Defense in Sana'a. The suicide assault resulted in the deaths of 52 people, including foreign doctors and nurses, and 11 AQAP fighters. AQAP claimed that the assault
targeted the US-run "operation rooms" for the drone program in Yemen.

The US has launched 24 drone strikes in Yemen so far this year. Despite an uptick of activity at the end of July and into the second week of August, the pace of the strikes has decreased since last year. In 2012, the US launched 42 drone strikes in Yemen against AQAP and its political front, Ansar al Sharia. The previous year, the US launched 10 drone and air strikes against the al Qaeda affiliate. The strikes are being reduced as the US government is facing increasing international criticism for conducting the attacks in both Yemen and Pakistan.

Between July 27 and Aug. 10, the US launched nine strikes in Yemen, but no drone strikes were reported for seven weeks prior to July 27. The spike in attacks from the end of July to mid-August was related to an al Qaeda plot that was uncovered by US officials. The plot's discovery 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.

Although six senior AQAP operatives, including the group's deputy emir, Said al Shihri, were killed in strikes in Yemen in 2012, the group's top leadership cadre remains intact. In July, AQAP confirmed that al Shihri, a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay, was killed; he is thought to have died or been seriously wounded in a strike in October 2012.

The US has targeted not only senior AQAP operatives who pose a direct threat to the US, but also low-level fighters and local commanders who are battling the Yemeni government. This trend was first identified by The Long War Journal in the spring of 2012 [see LWJ report, US drone strike kills 8 AQAP fighters, from May 10, 2012]. Obama administration officials have claimed, however, that the drones are targeting only those AQAP leaders and operatives who pose a direct threat to the US homeland, and not those fighting AQAP's local insurgency against the Yemeni government.

Huge Al Qaeda Terror Attack On Defense Ministry Building In Yemen Kills 29

Smoke rises from Yemen's Defence Ministry complex after a car bomb explosion in Sanaa Photo: EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

This is probably the single most coordinated and brazen terror attack in Yemen since al Qaeda attacked Yemeni troops a few years ago in a military parade - this time, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, went after a Defense building with vehicle bombs and armed attackers....the death toll is 29 but will probably go up.

The story comes from The Telegraph.

Yemen defence ministry hit by deadly car bomb attack


A presumed al-Qaeda terrorist attack has killed at least 29 people including six doctors and other medical staff in the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

Following a pattern that has been repeated several times in different parts of the world in recent weeks, a suicide bomber blasted an entrance to the Ministry of Defence compound. It was then stormed by gunmen who had been lying in wait nearby.

Among the buildings damaged in the blast was a hospital on the compound. Gunmen then entered the building and are believed to have shot dead a number of doctors, in front of other staff.

According to one report, one of the doctors was Venezuelan, three were Yemeni and two were from the Philippines, though another said at least one of the latter was a nurse.

Five patients were also killed, including a judge who was receiving treatment in the hospital.



Officials said that 18 soldiers were among the dead, though 12 of the attackers had also been killed in the subsequent fighting.

Yemen is home of one of the most successful al-Qaeda franchises, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), whose leader, Nasser al-Wuhayshi, doubles as the central command’s chief operations officer.

“Storming” raids have now become a common-place form of attack, suggesting a greater degree of co-ordination between different al-Qaeda groups that was previously thought to be the case.

Al-Qaeda’s branch in Iraq on Wednesday used a shopping mall in the city of Kirkuk as a base for storming a police station nearby, again following an initial suicide bombing.

At least five policemen, two civilians and three of the gunmen were killed in the subsequent battle, which lasted until Thursday morning(today).

In Sanaa, a car packed with explosives blew up on the ministry’s exterior compound wall, the blast strong enough to start fires and blow out doors and windows inside. Gunmen then poured in through the broken gates and seized the hospital, though the authorities claimed to have retaken control shortly afterwards.

“The assailants took advantage of some construction work that is taking place to carry out this criminal act,” a ministry statement said. Reports from the scene said a firefight was continuing.

Earlier this year, the government, under its new president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, seemed to have made progress driving AQAP back from some of its strongholds in the south, east of Aden.

Drone strikes co-ordinated with the authorities by the United States have also repeatedly struck AQAP targets.

However, they have remained a strong base of support, often boosted by deaths of civilians in the strikes, and also by sectarian conflicts in parts of the country, and have for several years been able to penetrate sensitive parts of the capital, attacking several targets including British diplomats and kidnapping foreigners.

According to one report in the New York Times, they received $20 million (£12.2 million) from Qatar and Oman as ransom for two sets of kidnapped westerners this year, enough to pay for their operations for several years.

They have also pledged to support Salafi Sunni inhabitants of the northern town of Dammaj who are fighting rebels of the Shia Houthi sect.

Al Qaeda Suicide Car Bomber Kills 12 Yemeni Soldiers

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is off to a bang up start for the weekend as one of their suicide bombers took out 12 Yemeni soldiers earlier today.

The story comes from DAWN.

Suicide bomber kills 12 soldiers in south Yemen: security


ADEN: A suicide car bomber killed 12 soldiers and wounded six others Friday in an attack on a military command centre in southern Yemen's Abyan province, security and military sources said.

The attack in the district of Ahwar targeted the command centre of the 111th Brigade, the security source said, adding that the commander of the brigade was “seriously” wounded in the blast.

The sources gave an initial toll of six dead, but said later that it had doubled to 12 dead. The commander was among the six wounded.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Last month a gun battle in Abyan province left two suspected Al Qaeda militants and a pro-government militiaman dead, after a failed attack on the head of a militia that backs the government.

The militias, who recruit from the area's heavily armed tribes, fought a fierce war alongside the army in mid-2012. They helped to drive Al Qaeda militants out of the main cities of Abyan, after the extremist network had held them for a year.

Yemen troops retake army HQ from al-Qaida in deadly assault

From Times of India.

Yemen troops retake army HQ from al-Qaida in deadly assault


SANAA: Yemeni troops have retaken a military headquarters in a deadly assault on al-Qaida-linked militants who seized it this week and took a number of hostages, the defence ministry said on Thursday.

The Wednesday operation, in which all the militants were "annihilated" and a still-unclear number of hostages killed, comes a week after a spectacular series of ambushes on army posts in which more than 50 soldiers and police were killed.

"The armed forces have successfully completed the assault on the headquarters of the Second Military Region at Mukalla and have thoroughly cleansed it of terrorist elements," a defence ministry source was quoted by the official Saba news agency as saying.

"All terrorists... in the building were annihilated," the statement added, without announcing the fate of the captured troops.

Medical and other military sources said at least 12 people, including five soldiers, were killed in the assault to retake the building in Mukalla, in southeast Yemen.

"We received this morning the bodies of 10 people" killed in the attack, a medical source at Ibn Sina public hospital in Mukalla told AFP.

A military official confirmed earlier that at least three of the soldiers taken hostage were among the 10 dead.

He later said two special forces soldiers were also killed. "Efforts are ongoing to find other possible victims under the rubble," said the official, who said most of the building's third and top storey had been destroyed.

Gunmen from the al-Qaida-affiliated Ansar al-Sharia group seized the complex on Monday after a suicide bomber rammed a car into the entrance.

The army soon retook most of the building, except for the top floor, where the militants held the soldiers captive.

A military source told AFP the army had fired on the building with artillery.

Mukalla is the capital of the southeastern province of Hadramawt and is a major port city.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has intensified its attacks in southern Yemen.

On September 20, suspected al-Qaida fighters killed more than 50 soldiers and police in coordinated dawn attacks in neighbouring Shabwa province.

The armed Islamist network has taken advantage of the weakening of the central government since a popular uprising that toppled president Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2011.

Washington regards AQAP as the global jihadist network's most dangerous affiliate and has stepped up drone strikes targeting the militants.

U.S. Predator Drone Strike Kills 6 More Al Qaeda In Yemen

I'm convinced that we could kill 20 al Qaeda a day, every single day in Yemen if we wanted to.

The story comes from DAWN.

Drone strike kills six suspected militants in Yemen


ADEN: A US drone killed at least six suspected Al Qaeda militants in southern Yemen on Wednesday, officials said, a day after US and British embassies evacuated some staff because of growing fears of attacks.

It was the fifth strike in less than two weeks and follows warnings of potential attacks by militants that pushed Washington to shut missions across the Middle East, and the United States and Britain to evacuate staff from Yemen.

Witnesses and local officials in the province of Shabwa said the drone fired at least six missiles at two vehicles in a remote area some 70 kilometres north of the provincial capital, Ataq. Both vehicles were destroyed.

Residents who rushed to the scene found only charred bodies, they said.

At least 20 suspected militants have been killed since July 28, when a drone strike killed at least four members of Ansar al-Sharia, a local militant group affiliated to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (Aqap), one of the most active branches of the network founded by Osama bin Laden.

Yemen, one of the poorest Arab countries, is one of handful of countries where Washington acknowledges targeting militants with strikes by drone aircraft, although it does not comment publicly on the practice.

US sources have told Reuters that intercepted communication between Osama’s successor as Al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, and the Yemen-based wing was one part of the intelligence behind the alert last week that prompted the closure of the embassies.

Security in Yemen is a global concern. Home to Aqap, considered one of the most aggressive branches of the global militant organisation, it shares a long border with Saudi Arabia, a US ally and the world's top oil exporter.

The US government supports Yemeni forces with funds and logistical support.

Yemeni authorities issued a statement early on Tuesday listing 25 “most wanted terrorists” it said were planning to carry out attacks in the country during the Eidul Fitr holiday this week. They also offered a five million Yemeni riyals ($23,000) for information leading to their capture.

A September11 attack last year killed the US ambassador to Libya and three other Americans in Benghazi.

US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told CNN at the weekend that the recent actions taken to close the embassies showed President Barack Obama's administration had learned lessons from Benghazi.

Hellfires Away! U.S. Drone Strike In Yemen Kills 5 Al Qaeda

Not a bad day hunting when you end up with five dead al Qaeda.

That's worth a thank you and a hat tip.

The story comes from The Long War Journal.

US drones kill 5 AQAP operatives in Yemen

The US launched its third drone strike in Yemen in the past five days, killing five al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives in an area in eastern Yemen that is said to be under the control of the terrorist group.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers launched a pair of missiles at a target in the Qatan Valley in Hadramout province today, killing five "al Qaeda militants," and wounding three others, Xinhua reported. Reuters said the missiles struck a car, while Xinhua reported that the strike took place at an "al Qaeda-held site in the Qatan valley" that is "used for training terrorists."

No senior al Qaeda operatives or leaders are reported to have been killed at this time. The identities of the al Qaeda operatives who were killed have not been disclosed.

Hadramout is the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden's family, and the province has become an AQAP bastion over the past several years.

In 2012, the US stepped up drone strikes against AQAP in Hadramout. Prior to May 2012, there were zero US drone strikes in the province. From mid-May until the end of 2012, the US launched seven attacks in Hadramout. Seven of the 42 drone strikes in Yemen in 2012, or 17%, have taken place in the province. Today's strike in Hadramout is the first in the province so far this year.

Since losing control of large areas of Abyan and Shabwa, AQAP has spread out into the provinces of Aden, Baydah, Al Jawf, Damar, Hadramout, Hodeida, Ibb, Marib, Saada, and Sana'a. Of the 35 drones strikes recorded by The Long War Journal over the past 12 months, 28 have taken place in the provinces of Aden, Baydah, Al Jawf, Damar, Hadramout, Hodeida, Ibb, Marib, Saada, and Sana'a.

Background on US strikes in Yemen

The US has launched 15 drone strikes in Yemen so far this year, but the pace of the strikes has decreased since last year. In 2012, the US launched 42 drone strikes in Yemen against AQAP and its political front, Ansar al Sharia. The previous year, the US launched 10 drone and air strikes against the al Qaeda affiliate. The strikes are being reduced as the US government is facing increasing international criticism for conducting the attacks in both Yemen and Pakistan.

The US has stepped up attacks in Yemen; today's strike is the third in five days. Two days ago, on July 30, US drones killed three AQAP fighters, including a Saudi operative, in a strike in Shabwa province. The previous strike, on July 27, which is said to have killed six AQAP fighters in the Al Mahfad area in Abyan province, broke a seven-week pause in drone activity in Yemen.

Although six senior AQAP operatives, including the group's deputy emir, Said al Shihri, were killed in strikes in Yemen in 2012, the group's top leadership cadre remains intact. Just two weeks ago, AQAP confirmed that al Shihri, a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay, was killed; he is thought to have died or to have been seriously wounded following a strike in October 2012.

The US has targeted both senior AQAP operatives who pose a direct threat to the US, and low-level fighters and local commanders who are battling the Yemeni government. This trend was first identified by The Long War Journal in the spring of 2012 [see LWJ report, US drone strike kills 8 AQAP fighters, from May 10, 2012]. Obama administration officials have claimed, however, that the drones are targeting only those AQAP leaders and operatives who pose a direct threat to the US homeland, and not those fighting AQAP's local insurgency against the Yemeni government.

U.S. Predator Drone Strike In Yemen Kills 6 Al Qaeda

After nearly two months, an American drone strike has hit Yemen once again with six al Qaeda jihadis paying the ultimate price.  Yeah, it was a real shame.

The story comes from The Long War Journal.

US launches 1st drone strike in Yemen in 7 weeks

US drones launched the first strike in Yemen in 49 days, killing six "militants" in an attack today on a convoy in a southern town controlled by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers launched missiles at a vehicle carrying AQAP fighters in the Al Mahfad area in the southern province of Abyan, The Associated Press reported.

The exact target of today's strike was not disclosed. Six members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula were killed in the airstrike; three of them were identified but their names have not been disclosed, according to AP. No senior AQAP operatives or leaders are reported to have been killed.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and leaders have 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 the spring of 2011.

The US has launched two other drone strikes in Al Mahfad. The last attack took place on June 1. Eight militants were reported to have been killed in the strike. The previous attack took place on May 18. Four AQAP fighters were killed when the drones launched missiles against a vehicle carrying grenades and suicide belts.

US expands the location of drone strikes in Yemen

Since losing control of large areas of Abyan and Shabwa, AQAP has spread out into the provinces of Aden, Baydah, Al Jawf, Damar, Hadramout, Hodeida, Ibb, Marib, Saada, and Sana'a. Of the 33 drones strikes recorded by The Long War Journal over the past 12 months, 27 have taken place in the provinces of Aden, Baydah, Al Jawf, Damar, Hadramout, Hodeida, Ibb, Marib, Saada, and Sana'a.

The US has launched 13 drone strikes in Yemen so far this year. The last strike took place on June 9, killing an AQAP commander known as Saleh Hassan Jredan and his brother and four other fighters.

In 2012, the US launched 42 drone strikes in Yemen against AQAP and its political front, Ansar al Sharia. The previous year, the US launched 10 drone and air strikes against the al Qaeda affiliate. The strikes are being reduced as the US government is facing increasing international criticism for conducting the attacks in both Yemen and Pakistan.

Although six senior AQAP operatives, including the group's deputy emir, Said al Shihri, were killed in strikes in Yemen in 2012, the group's top leadership cadre remains intact. Just 12 days ago, AQAP confirmed that al Shihri, a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay, was killed; he is thought to have died or to have been seriously wounded following a strike in October 2012.

The US has targeted both senior AQAP operatives who pose a direct threat to the US, and low-level fighters and local commanders who are battling the Yemeni government. This trend was first identified by The Long War Journal in the spring of 2012 [see LWJ report, US drone strike kills 8 AQAP fighters, from May 10, 2012]. Obama administration officials have claimed, however, that the drones are targeting only those AQAP leaders and operatives who pose a direct threat to the US homeland, and not those fighting AQAP's local insurgency against the Yemeni government.

US drones kill AQAP commander, 5 fighters in northern Yemen

From The Long War Journal.

US drones kill AQAP commander, 5 fighters in northern Yemen


US drones killed an al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula commander and five fighters in a strike today in northern Yemen near the border with Saudi Arabia.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers launched several missiles at two vehicles traveling in the Al Mahashma area in Al Jawf province, The Associated Press reported.

An AQAP commander known as Saleh Hassan Jredan or Hassan al Saleh Huraydan is reported to have been killed in the airstrike, along with his brother and four other fighters.

US drones have struck AQAP in Al Jawf three other times in the past. Two of the three strikes 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.

The last US drone attack in Al Jawf took place on Jan. 22; the US killed four AQAP fighters in a strike on a vehicle as it was leaving a training camp in the desert in the province.

US expands drone strikes in Yemen

Since losing control of large areas of Abyan and Shabwa, AQAP has spread out into the provinces of Aden, Baydah, Al Jawf, Damar, Hadramout, Hodeida, Ibb, Marib, Saada, and Sana'a. Of the 32 drones strikes recorded by The Long War Journal over the past 11 months, 27 have taken place in the provinces of Aden, Baydah, Al Jawf, Damar, Hadramout, Hodeida, Ibb, Marib, Saada, and Sana'a.

The US has launched 12 drone strikes in Yemen so far this year. The last strike took place on June 1; the drone targeted a convoy of pickup trucks carrying AQAP fighters in the Al Mahfad area in the southern province of Abyan. Eight AQAP fighters were killed as missiles slammed into their trucks.

In 2012, the US launched 42 drone strikes in Yemen against AQAP and its political front, Ansar al Sharia. The previous year, the US launched 10 drone and air strikes against the al Qaeda affiliate.

Although five senior AQAP operatives were killed in strikes in Yemen in 2012, the group's top leadership cadre remains intact. In January, the Yemeni government claimed that Said al Shihri, the deputy emir of AQAP, died following an attack last fall; AQAP has not confirmed his death, however, and recently released a statement that hinted he may be alive.

The US has targeted both senior AQAP operatives who pose a direct threat to the US, and low-level fighters and local commanders who are battling the Yemeni government. This trend was first identified by The Long War Journal in the spring of 2012 [see LWJ report, US drone strike kills 8 AQAP fighters, from May 10, 2012]. Obama administration officials have claimed, however, that the drones are targeting only those AQAP leaders and operatives who pose a direct threat to the US homeland, and not those fighting AQAP's local insurgency against the Yemeni government.

US drones kill 8 AQAP fighters in Yemen strike

From The Long War Journal.

US drones kill 8 AQAP fighters in Yemen strike


US drones launched the first strike in Yemen in 12 days, killing eight "militants" in an attack on an convoy in a southern town controlled by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers launched three missiles at a convoy of pickup trucks carrying AQAP fighters in the Al Mahfad area in the southern province of Abyan today, Xinhua reported.

The target of today's strike was not disclosed. Eight members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula were killed in the airstrike, and three more were wounded. No senior AQAP operatives or leaders are reported to have been killed.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and leaders have 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 the spring of 2011.

The US has launched one other drone strike in Al Mahfad. That attack took place on May 18. Four AQAP fighters were killed when the drones launched missiles against a vehicle carrying grenades and suicide belts.

US expands drone strikes in Yemen

Since losing control of large areas of Abyan and Shabwa, AQAP has spread out into the provinces of Aden, Baydah, Al Jawf, Damar, Hadramout, Hodeida, Ibb, Marib, Saada, and Sana'a. Of the 31 drones strikes recorded by The Long War Journal over the past 11 months, 26 have taken place in the provinces of Aden, Baydah, Al Jawf, Damar, Hadramout, Hodeida, Ibb, Marib, Saada, and Sana'a.

The US has launched 11 drone strikes in Yemen so far this year. The last strike took place on May 20 in Baydah province; two AQAP operatives were reported killed.

In 2012, the US launched 42 drone strikes in Yemen against AQAP and its political front, Ansar al Sharia. The previous year, the US launched 10 drone and air strikes against the al Qaeda affiliate.

Although five senior AQAP operatives were killed in strikes in Yemen in 2012, the group's top leadership cadre remains intact. In January, the Yemeni government claimed that Said al Shihri, the deputy emir of AQAP, died following an attack last fall; AQAP has not confirmed his death, however, and recently released a statement that hinted he may be alive.

The US has targeted both senior AQAP operatives who pose a direct threat to the US, and low-level fighters and local commanders who are battling the Yemeni government. This trend was first identified by The Long War Journal in the spring of 2012 [see LWJ report, US drone strike kills 8 AQAP fighters, from May 10, 2012]. Obama administration officials have claimed, however, that the drones are targeting only those AQAP leaders and operatives who pose a direct threat to the US homel

U.S. Drone Strike Kills 4 Al Qaeda In Yemen

Well, this has been a long time coming.

The story comes from The Long War Journal.

US drones kill 4 'militants' in first strike in Yemen a month


US drones launched the first strike in Yemen in a month, killing four "militants" in an attack on a vehicle carrying explosives in a southern town plagued by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers launched several missiles at a truck "carrying grenades and explosive belts" in the Al Mahfad area in the southern province of Abyan on Friday night, AFP reported. Four suspected members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula were killed in the airstrike.

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 their own offensive in 2011.

Since losing control of large areas of Abyan and Shabwa, AQAP has spread out into the provinces of Aden, Al Baydah, Al Jawf, Damar, Hadramout, Hodeida, Ibb, Marib, Saada, and Sana'a. Of the 29 drones strikes recorded by The Long War Journal over the past 11 months, 25 of them have taken place in the provinces of Aden, Al Baydah, Al Jawf, Damar, Hadramout, Hodeida, Ibb, Marib, Saada, and Sana'a.

The US has launched nine drone strikes in Yemen so far this year. The last strike took place on April 21 in the Wadi Abida area of Marib province; two AQAP operatives were reported killed.

In 2012, the US launched 42 drone strikes in Yemen against AQAP and its political front, Ansar al Sharia. The previous year, the US launched 10 drone and air strikes against the al Qaeda affiliate.

Although five senior AQAP operatives were killed in strikes in Yemen in 2012, the group's top leadership cadre remains intact. In January, the Yemeni government claimed that Said al Shihri, the deputy emir of AQAP, died following an attack last fall; AQAP has not confirmed his death, however, and recently released a statement that hinted he may be alive.

The US has targeted both senior AQAP operatives who pose a direct threat to the US, and low-level fighters and local commanders who are battling the Yemeni government. This trend was first identified by The Long War Journal in the spring of 2012 [see LWJ report, US drone strike kills 8 AQAP fighters, from May 10, 2012]. Obama administration officials have claimed, however, that the drones are targeting only those AQAP leaders and operatives who pose a direct threat to the US homeland, and not those fighting AQAP's local insurgency against the Yemeni government.

Al Qaeda Assassins Murder High Ranking Intelligence Official In Yemen

What?  And here I thought that Barack Hussein Obama and Joe Biden said we had finished off al Qaeda?

The story comes from Family Security Matters.

Al-Qaeda Assassins Kill Military Intelligence Official in Yemen

Masked gunmen of the Yemen-based al-Qaeda affiliate attacked a high-ranking military intelligence official and shot him to death in Yemeni province of Hadramout on early Sunday morning, according to an Israeli police intelligence analyst who specializes in Islamic terrorism.

According to Mordacai Ashur, two gunmen wearing masks and riding motorbikes fired at Col. Ahmed Abdul-Razzak, the director of the military intelligence unit in the Hadramout province.

Terrorists from the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) network committed a criminal act and assassinated Col. Abdul-Razzak on a main road near his home in the coastal town of Mukalla, the source reported.

Yemeni police and security officers have repeatedly blamed Islamists from the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula for a number of assassinations and bomb attacks, mostly outside of the main cities.

The AQAP, which began its reign of terror in January 2009, is considered the most strategic threat to the Yemeni government and its neighboring oil-rich Saudi Arabia. Numerous members are believed to be Saudis.

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was elected by the people hoping he would restore security and stability to Yemen and eliminate the influence of al-Qaeda to threaten daily oil shipping routes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

On Dec. 25, 2012, suspected al-Qaeda assassins gunned down and killed two senior officers from Yemen's Army.

Col. Salem Ghorbani of the Yemeni Republican Guards was shot to death near the al-Sawad Military Base in Sanaa. Another military commander, Brig. Gen. Fadhel al- Zahairy, was assassinated 30 minutes later in the Bab al-Yemen district, the Israeli source said.

Both assassinations were similar in that they were carried out by masked gunmen riding motorcycles, according to the official.

Predator Drone Strike Kills 5 Al Qaeda in Yemen

I missed this one yesterday...my apologies (to the readers, not the al Qaeda that were vaporized by U.S. hellfires....LOL).

Enjoy.

The story comes from The Long War Journal.

US drones kill 5 AQAP operatives in Yemen


The US launched a pair of drone strikes against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula today in a remote area in central Yemen, according to reports. The strikes are the first recorded in the country since the end of January.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers attacked two separate targets in the Oussab al Ali area, which was described by The Associated Press as a mountainous region "located in the middle of three provinces of central Damar, southern Ibb and eastern Hodeida."

The first strike killed four AQAP fighters as they were driving a vehicle in the area, Yemeni intelligence officials told AP.

The second strike killed Hamed Radman, who was described as an "influential al Qaeda member" who "played a role in recruitment." A Yemeni witness in the area said that US drones were deployed over the village where Radman was killed for three days before striking.

Today's strikes are the first reported in Yemen since Jan. 23, when six AQAP fighters were killed in an attack in Sana'a province. The US launched four other strikes in Yemen in January. Two such attacks took place in Marib province on Jan. 19 and Jan. 21; two Saudis are reported to have been killed in the Jan. 19 attack. In another strike, on Jan. 22, the US killed four AQAP fighters in a strike on a vehicle in Al Jawf province in northern Yemen. And, on Jan. 3, a strike in Al Baydah province killed a local AQAP commander and two fighters.

Over the past 10 months, the US has begun to target AQAP outside of the traditional strongholds of Abyan and Shabwah provinces in the south. Of the 27 strikes against AQAP since the beginning of June 2012 that have been recorded by The Long War Journal, only four have hit AQAP in Abyan and Shabwah. The other 23 strikes have targeted AQAP operatives in the provinces of Aden, Al Baydah, Al Jawf, Hadramout, Marib, Saada, and Sana'a (it is unclear if today's strikes took place in Damar, Ibb, or Hodeida). Of the 18 strikes that were conducted between January 2012 and the end of May, 10 occurred in Abyan and Shabwah.

In 2012, the US launched 42 drone strikes in Yemen against AQAP and its political front, Ansar al Sharia. The previous year, the US launched 10 drone and air strikes against the al Qaeda affiliate.

Although five senior AQAP operatives were killed in strikes in Yemen in 2012, the group's top leadership cadre remains intact. In January, the Yemeni government claimed that Said al Shihri, the deputy emir of AQAP, died following an attack last fall; AQAP has not confirmed his death, however, and recently released a statement that hinted that he may be alive.

The US has targeted both senior AQAP operatives who pose a direct threat to the US, and low-level fighters and local commanders who are battling the Yemeni government. This trend was first identified by The Long War Journal in the spring of 2012 [see LWJ report, US drone strike kills 8 AQAP fighters, from May 10, 2012]. Obama administration officials have claimed, however, that the drones are targeting only those AQAP leaders and operatives who pose a direct threat to the US homeland, and not those fighting AQAP's local insurgency against the Yemeni government.

Success! Al Qaeda #2 In Yemen Finally Dies From Wounds Suffered In U.S. Drone Strike Last October

 Saeed al-Shihri, a Saudi national who fought in Afghanistan and spent six years in the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, was wounded in a missile attack in the southern city of Saada on Oct 28, according to SABA news agency. — File Photo by Reuters

See?  Every time I put up a predator drone strike report - whether it be in Pakistan or in Yemen, you just never know who might end up pushing daisies and in this case, a U.S. drone strike last October 28th wounded the second highest leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and after falling into a coma after the attack, the POS finally is dead.  And gone.  Good riddance.

The story comes from DAWN.

Al Qaeda No 2 in Yemen succumbs to wounds


SANAA: Al Qaeda’s No 2 in Yemen died of wounds sustained in a US drone attack last year in southern Yemen, the country’s official news agency and a security official said Thursday.

Saeed al-Shihri, a Saudi national who fought in Afghanistan and spent six years in the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, was wounded in a missile attack in the southern city of Saada on Oct 28, according to Saba news agency.

The agency said that he had fallen into a coma since then. It was not clear when he actually died.

A security official said that the missile had been fired by a US -operated, unmanned drone aircraft. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press.

Yemen had previously announced al-Shihri’s death in a Sept 10 drone attack in the province of Hadramawt. A subsequent DNA test however proved that the body recovered was not that of al-Shihri.

On Oct 22, al-Shihri denied his own death in audio message posted on Jihadi websites.

Also known by the nom de guerre Abu Sufyan al-Azdi, he denounced at the time the Yemeni government for spreading the ”rumor about my death … as though the killing of the mujahideen (holy warriors) by America is a victory to Islam and Muslims.”

Al-Shihri went through Saudi Arabia’s famous ”rehabilitation” institutes after he returned to his home country, but then he fled to Yemen and became deputy to Nasser al-Wahishi, the leader of an al Qaeda group.

Al-Shihri’s death is considered a major blow to al Qaeda Yemen branch, known as al Qaeda in The Arabian Peninsula. Washington considers it the most dangerous of the group’s offshoots.

Al Qaeda in Yemen has been linked to several attempted attacks on US targets, including the foiled Christmas Day 2009 bombing of an airliner over Detroit and explosives-laden parcels intercepted aboard cargo flights last year.

In 2011, a high-profile US drone strike killed US-born Anwar al-Awlaki, who had been linked to the planning and execution of several attacks targeting US and Western interests, including the attempt to down a Detroit-bound airliner in 2009 and the plot to bomb cargo planes in 2010.

Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest nation, has fallen into lawlessness during a yearlong uprising starting in 2011, when millions of Yemenis took to the streets demanding the ouster of their longtime authoritarian ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Al Qaeda militants exploited the unrest and took control of large swaths of land in the south until last spring, when the military, backed by the US, managed to drive hundreds of militants out of major cities and towns.

Since then, the group has carried out deadly attacks targeting mostly security and military officials, including suicide bombings that targeted military and security compounds.

U.S. Predator Drones Strike Again In Yemen - 3 Al Qaeda No Longer With Us

U.S. predator drones are busy in Yemen and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula are paying the price and today's strike killed three of the bastards.  Good riddance.

The story comes from The Long War Journal.

US kills 3 more AQAP fighters in drone strike in Marib


US drones struck again in Marib province in central Yemen, killing three al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives. The strike is the second in the central province in three days.

The CIA-operated, remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers launched two missiles today at a car as it traveled outside the city of Marib in the province of the same name, according to The Associated Press. Three AQAP members, identified as Ali Saleh Toaiman, Qassim Nasser Toaiman, and Ahmed al Ziadi, a local commander in the province, were killed in the attack, and two more were wounded.

The three AQAP members had previously been captured after the Yemeni military took control of Abyan province from AQAP, which seized the province in May 2011, but were released as part of an amnesty in April 2012, according to AP.

Today's strike is the third this year, and the second in Marib province in three days. On Jan. 19, US drones fired at a vehicle in the Abieda Valley in Marib, killing eight people, including two Saudi AQAP fighters.

The US conducted five drone strikes in Yemen between Dec. 24, 2012 and Jan. 3, 2013. Prior to the Dec. 24 attack, the last recorded attack by the US in Yemen took place on Nov. 7, 2012.

The US launched 42 drone strikes against AQAP and its political front, Ansar al Sharia, in Yemen in 2012. Although five senior AQAP operatives were killed in strikes in Yemen in 2012, the group's top leadership cadre remains intact. The previous year, the US launched 10 drone and air strikes against the al Qaeda affiliate.