The leader of the Al-Qaeda branch in Yemen has been arrested since October, and the terrorist group has had an erosion in its ranks caused by deserts, according to a United Nations report released on Thursday.
The report was an official confirmation that Khalid Batarfi, head of AQAP, had been detained, following unconfirmed reports. His arrest is an embarrassment to the group, which promotes the idea of ’martyrdom’ among its followers, and which could potentially be invaluable in the fight against terrorism led by the United States.
Batarfi was arrested and his deputy, Saad Atef al Awlaqi, died during an ‘operation in Ghayda City, Al-Mahrah Governorate, in October’, according to the report by the UN Security Council from a UN monitoring team that Al Qaeda , Islamic, follows State and other extremist groups.
The report does not provide further details on the arrest or where Batarfi is being held.
The U.S. intelligence community and the Pentagon were not immediately available for comment.
According to the UN report, AQAP has experienced internal setbacks in recent months. “In addition to leadership losses, AQAP is suffering an erosion in its ranks caused by discord and desolation, mainly led by one of Batarfi’s former lieutenants, Abu Omar al-Nahdi,” the report reads.
But AQAP still poses a threat and launched a significant attack in Lawdar in December, the report said.
Related:
The United States offered a $ 5 million reward for information about Bartafi, saying he had trained with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, fought with the Taliban after 2001 and made public threats against the United States. He was named a Global Terrorist by the State Department in 2018.
The UN report also warned that a final easing of the Covid-19 restrictions could pave the way for a resurgence in Islamic State attacks.