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Feared leader of Al Qaeda's 'most dangerous branch' in Yemen dies in mysterious circumstances after US put $5million bounty on his head
The feared leader of an al-Qaeda branch in Yemen which is considered the jihadist network's 'most dangerous' faction has died in mysterious circumstances.
Khalid al-Batarfi was labelled a 'global terrorist' and had a $5 million bounty put on his head by the US government over his role as leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
AQAP has long been considered the most threatening part of Al-Qaeda in operation after the killing of founder Osama bin Laden, though the group is believed to have been weakened by infighting and suspected US drone strikes killing its leaders.
Now, without announcing his cause of death, al-Qaeda has released a video showing top brass al-Batarfi wrapped in a white funeral shroud and covered with the terror organisation's black-and-white flag.
Making the announcement in a 15-minute video, Al-Qaeda veteran Ibrahim al-Qosi offered no details on the cause of his death and there was no clear sign of trauma visible on his face.
Al-Qaeda released a video showing al-Batarfi wrapped in a white funeral shroud and covered with the terror organisation's black-and-white flag
Khalid al-Batarfi was labelled a 'global terrorist' and had a $5 million bounty put on his head by the US government. Pictured in 2015
The leader of Yemen's branch of al-Qaeda is dead, the militant group announced Sunday, March 10, 2024
Al-Batarfi, who was believed to be in his early 40s, was imprisoned before being freed in a jailbreak in 2015, and governed forces in Yemen amid that country's grinding war.
'Allah took his soul while he patiently sought his reward and stood firm, immigrated, garrisoned, and waged jihad for His sake,' al-Qosi said in the video, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.
The announcement was made on the eve of Ramadan, the Muslim holy fasting month that Yemen begins today.
In the announcement, the group said Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki would take over as its leader.
The US has a $6 million bounty on him, saying al-Awlaki 'has publicly called for attacks against the United States and its allies.'
The Yemen branch of al-Qaeda has been seen by Washington as the terror network's most dangerous branch ever since its attempt in 2009 to bomb a commercial airliner over the United States.
It claimed responsibility for the 2015 deadly attack in Paris on the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. But their overseas operations have waned in recent years.
'Although in decline, AQAP remains the most effective terrorist group in Yemen with intent to conduct operations in the region and beyond,' a recent United Nations report on al-Qaeda said.
Estimates provided to the UN put AQAP's total forces as numbering between 3,000 and 4,000 active fighters and passive members.
The Yemen branch of Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the 2015 deadly attack in Paris on the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo
Masked gunmen stormed the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in January 2015, killing 11 people
The group raises money by robbing banks and money exchange shops, as well as smuggling weapons, counterfeiting currencies and ransom operations, according to the UN.
Al-Batarfi took over as the head of the branch in February 2020. He succeeded leader Qassim al-Rimi, who was killed by a US drone strike ordered by then-President Donald Trump.
Al-Rimi had claimed responsibility for the 2019 attack at the US Naval Air Station Pensacola in which a Saudi aviation trainee killed three American sailors.
Under al-Batarfi, AQAP fell further under the influence of Saif al-Adl, now believed to have led the militant group after the killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the second general emir of al-Qaeda, in a US drone strike in Afghanistan in 2022.
In recent years, Yemen has been locked in a war between the Houthi rebels, who hold the capital, Sanaa, and a Saudi-led coalition backing the country's exiled government based in Aden.
'Since 2020, Saif al-Adel has been able to convince al-Batarfi of his strategic approach, focused on confronting Western states and their allies in Yemen - the Saudi-led coalition, the Aden-based government, the United Arab Emirates and its allies - rather than confronting the Iranian-backed Houthi movement,' a 2023 report by the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies said.
Al-Adl is believed to be in Iran, part of a longtime al-Qaeda presence in the Islamic Republic.
Al-Batarfi succeeded leader Qassim al-Rimi (pictured), who was killed by a US drone strike ordered by then-President Donald Trump
Al-Rimi had claimed responsibility for the 2019 attack at the US Naval Air Station Pensacola in which a Saudi aviation trainee killed three American sailors
That's long been denied by Tehran but backed up by documents seized in the 2011 US raid in Pakistan that killed bin Laden, who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks on the US.
Flashes of light can be seen from HMS Richmond as they launch missiles at Houthi attack drones
Al-Batarfi's ties to al-Adl had strained relations in AQAP, experts say. However, it has seen the militants become armed with bomb-carrying drones - something the Houthis now use to target shipping in the Red Sea amid the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
AQAP 'developed unmanned aerial systems capabilities, establishing a specialized drone unit, with operational training from the Houthis,' a UN report from January says.
'It prioritises liberating its prisoners to replenish ranks; in September, the Houthis released several AQAP members and explosives experts.'
The Shiite Zaydi Houthis have previously denied working with AQAP, a Sunni extremist group.
However, AQAP targeting of the Houthis has dropped in recent years while the militants continue to attack Saudi-led coalition forces.
Yemen's history and tribal structure long has seen alliances rapidly shift, something its late strongman President Ali Abdullah Saleh referred to as 'dancing on the heads of snakes.'
Al-Batarfi, born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, traveled to Afghanistan in 1999 and fought alongside the Taliban during the US-led invasion.
He joined AQAP in 2010 and led forces in taking over Yemen's Abyan province, according to the U.S.
Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021
In 2015, he was freed after an AQAP raid that saw the militants capture Mukalla, the capital of Yemen's largest province, Hadramawt, amid the chaos of the war.
Photos at the time showed al-Awlaki with a Kalashnikov rifle, posing inside a government palace there.
AQAP was later pushed out of Mukalla but has continued attacks and been the target of a US drone strike campaign since the administration of then-President George W. Bush.
In 2020, there had been claims that al-Bartafi had been detained, which later were denied.
In 2021, he appeared in a militant video and referred to the January 6 riot at the US Capitol as 'only the tip of the iceberg of what will come to them, God willing.'