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Yemen Al-Qaeda leader al-Raymi killed by US strike | Yemen Al-Qaeda leader al-Raymi killed by US strike |
(about 2 hours later) | |
The United States has killed the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), President Donald Trump said. | The United States has killed the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), President Donald Trump said. |
Qasim al-Raymi, who has led the jihadist group since 2015, was killed in a US operation in Yemen, the White House said. | Qasim al-Raymi, who has led the jihadist group since 2015, was killed in a US operation in Yemen, the White House said. |
The jihadist leader had been linked to a series of attacks on Western interests in the 2000s. | The jihadist leader had been linked to a series of attacks on Western interests in the 2000s. |
He took over the leadership after his predecessor was killed by a US drone strike. | He took over the leadership after his predecessor was killed by a US drone strike. |
AQAP was formed in 2009 from two regional offshoots of Al-Qaeda in Yemen and in Saudi Arabia, with the goal of toppling US-backed governments and eliminating all Western influence in the region. | |
Most of its attacks have been in Yemen, where it has taken advantage of political instability that has plagued the country for years. | |
Rumours of Raymi's death in a US drone strike began circulating in late January. In response, AQAP released an audio message with Raymi's voice on 2 February, in which he said AQAP was behind a deadly shooting at a US naval base in Pensacola, Florida. | |
The shooting took place in December, and the message may have been recorded earlier. | The shooting took place in December, and the message may have been recorded earlier. |
The statement from the White House has now confirmed Raymi's death but did not say when he was killed. | |
"His death further degrades AQAP and the global al-Qaeda movement, and it brings us closer to eliminating the threats these groups pose to our national security," the statement read. | |
"The United States, our interests, and our allies are safer as a result of his death." | "The United States, our interests, and our allies are safer as a result of his death." |