AMU Homeland Security

U.S. Airstrikes Kill 40 Suspected AQAP Fighters in Yemen

By William Tucker
Chief Correspondent for In Homeland Security

Three UAV airstrikes were carried out in Yemen this past weekend killing an estimated 40 members of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The first strike occurred on April 19 which killed an estimated 15 fighters and 5 civilians. According to reports, the UAV struck a vehicle carrying the fighters and a load of conventional explosives. The resulting detonation from the airstrike killed several civilians in an adjacent vehicle. Though speculation is rife that several AQAP leaders were in the vehicle, the terror organization hasn’t yet confirmed any deaths. A second strike occurred the following day on an AQAP training camp in the mountains of Abyan province. Shortly before the airstrike was carried out Yemeni authorities arrested ten fighters who were traveling to the camp. Following the arrests and the U.S. airstrike, the Yemeni air force engaged in a heavy bombardment of the camp. At this point the death toll and impact on the AQAP organization are unknown, but the return of AQAP fighters to cities that the group previously held in an offensive some time ago is a negative development and may have spurred the U.S. and Yemeni government into action. Furthermore, a video depicting a large gathering of AQAP fighters that surfaced in late March indicates that the organization is still a functional menace.

The third airstrike this weekend may have been an attempt to target Ibrahim Hassan Tali al Asiri, the notorious bomb-maker involved in some of the more devious plots fielded by AQAP over the past few years. At the moment scant evidence is available to support the claims that Asiri was one of the four men killed in yesterday’s airstrike, but a helicopter arrived on scene within minutes of the strike to recover the bodies of the men in the targeted vehicle. Again, AQAP hasn’t yet responded to the UAV strikes, nor have they confirmed the identity of the deceased. Better information will hopefully become available in the days and weeks ahead, but for now it is obvious that AQAP’s activities have generated enough concern on the parts of the Yemenis and the U.S. to take such concrete action against the terror organization. Last months video and reports from local Yemeni authorities about an increased AQAP presence would seem to suggest that AQAP is preparing for something – whether another attempt at an international attack or an offensive against the Yemeni government – and the concern is great enough to take action. The Middle East has undergone fundamental changes in the past few years and Western interest in Yemen seems to have fallen strictly to the realm of terrorism academics. This should change as the new government in Sana’a struggles to make national reconciliation a reality in the face of a profound non-state threat.

William Tucker serves as a senior security representative to a major government contractor where he acts as the Counterintelligence Officer, advises on counterterrorism issues, and prepares personnel for overseas travel. His additional duties include advising his superiors in matters concerning emergency management and business continuity planning.

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