The leader of Al-Qaeda’s Yemeni affiliate has been under arrest for several months, according to a United Nations report released on Thursday.
The reported indicated that Khalid Batarfi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was arrested and that his deputy, Saad Atef al-Awlaqi, died during an operation in al-Ghayda City, Mahrah province, in October.
Batarfi became the leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula after the killing of Qassim al-Rimi in January last year.
The report also confirmed that an al-Qaeda leader in Abyan, named al-Khader al-Walidi, was killed last November.
However, experts have warned that al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula remains a threat despite suffering from a weakening of its ranks, the report said.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said stopping US support for the war in Yemen would not include aid for the fighting against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
On Thursday, US President Joe Biden told State Department officials in Washington that all forms of military support for the Saudi offensive war operations in Yemen would be halted, saying the war “must end.”
At the same time, Biden said in his first foreign policy speech that the US will continue to support Saudi Arabia and help it “defend its sovereignty and territory.”
