Al-Qaida´s South Yemen Army releases Newspaper

by Florian Flade

Last year Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) announced it would create an army to establish the Caliphate of Southern Yemen and thereby fullfill the Prophet Muhammad´s Hadith in which he claims „An army of twelve-thousand will come out of Aden-Abyan. They will give victory to Allah and His messenger; they are the best between myself and them“.

Today there is a de-facto Al-Qaida state emerging in the southern parts of Yemen. In May Al-Qaida fighters attacked and occupied the town of Zinjibar, capital of the Abyan province. They forced the Yemeni military forces out of the city and distributed leaflets claiming Zinjibar is now part of a Caliphate in which Shariah law will be implemented. AQAP named it´s southern elements „Ansar ul-Shariah“ and over the last months managed to expand its reach into other cities in southern Yemen.

Recently „Ansar ul-Shariah“ released its first official newsletter titled „Madad News Agency – News Report # 1“. In a newspaper-like layout the Jihadi militants present an overview of recent events in the South Yemen Caliphate. Amongst other articles there is a statement denying Western media reports of the death of AQAP Amir Nasser al-Wuhayshi aka „Abu Basir“. The newspaper also claims 230 Yemeni soldiers were killed by AQAP in the past three months in the region from Zinjibar to Aden. According to AQAP the militants obtained numerous heavy weapons including tanks as „war booty“.

One article of „Madad News Agency“ claims responsibility for a suicide bombing against the Shiite Houthi rebels in the North of Yemen. A suicide bomber named „Abu Khattab al-Hawti“ allegedly carried out the attack and killed more than 100 Houthis.

A picture published in the Jihadi newsletter shows a group of young Yemenis sitting in front what appears to be a cinema watching an AQAP propaganda video during this years „Eid ul-Fitr“ Festival.

Al-Qaida confirms Anwar al-Awlaki killed by US airstrike

by Florian Flade

Al-Qaida the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has released a statement on the Internet confirming the death of US-Yemeni preacher Anwar al-Awlaki in an American airstrike in Yemen on September 30 in the region between Al-Jawf and Maarib.

The statement is titled „Blood of the Martyr is the Light and Fire – A Statement on the Martyrdom of Sheikh Anwar al-Awlaki and his comrades“ and was signed by the „Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula“.

Al-Qaida writes „the Mujahid Sheikh Abu Abdelrahman Bin Nassir Anwar al-Awlaki“ as well as US citizen Samir Khan, Abu Muhsin al-Maaribi and Salim Marwani were killed in a bombing by a US aircraft.

The U.S. government never proved their allegations against Awlaki, Al-Qaida claims, instead they killed him according to their unfair laws. „Sheikh Anwar went to the Gardens of Eternity (…) and left the Ummah on the path of Jihad“, the statement further reads. America killed Awlaki „but it cannot kill an idea“. Awlaki´s blood, Al Qaida warns, will not be shed in vain.

In the last part of the martyrdom statement, the terror organizations highlights the latest events in Syria and Yemen, accusing the West of not helping the people who rose against injustice.

There is no reason to believe the martyrdom statement is not authentic. It bears all the hallmarks of an official AQAP release.

Anwar al-Awlaki allegedly killed by airstrike in Yemen

by Florian Flade

US-Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki

Some have labeled him „the next Osama Bin Laden“ or „the Youtube Bin Laden – for the intelligence community in the West he was a pain in the arse: US-Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. Since he moved to his ancestors homeland of Yemen in 2004 he spread Jihadi ideology over the internet using his own blog and internet forums to promote essays and theologicial publications legitimating Jihad, suicide bombings and terrorist attacks in the West.

Today Arab media is reporting that Anwar al-Awlaki was killed in an airstrike in Yemen. Al-Arabiya TV quotes Yemeni officials as saying Awlaki traveled in a convoy in al-Jawf province near the Saudi-Arabian border when it was hit by Yemeni fighter jets. Awlaki and four Al-Qaida militants were killed, the Yemeni government source claims. A spokesman for the Yemeni Embassy in Washington D.C. tells CNN the alleged Al-Qaida affiliated cleric was killed near the town of Khashef, east of the Yemeni capital Sanaa on friday morning. CBS News reports a White House official says there is „high confidence“ that Anwar al-Awlaki was indeed killed today.

If true the death of Awlaki will have a quite significant impact on the Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and there ability to attract foreign Jihadis. Awlaki as a fluent English speaker and charismatic preacher had a appeal towards Western Jihadis and will not easily be replaced by other American members of AQAP like Samir Khan. Awlaki was important to AQAP not because he holds any leadership position within the organization but because of his propaganda value and the picture of him painted in Western media as one of the most dangerous terrorists desperately wanting to harm the United States.

Awlaki, who was born in Las Cruces (New Mexico) in 1971 and therefore holds a U.S. passport. The son of a Yemeni agricultural minister grew up in Yemen and the U.S. and was educated at American universities, rose the ranks of AQAP as soon as the Saudi Al-Qaida and its Yemeni counterpart merged in January 2009. He is said to have inspired Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hassan and adviced him to carry out a attack on US forces in an e-mail exchange. Awlaki also is seen as a key element in the recruitment and radicalization of the Nigerian underwear bomber Umar Farouq Abdulmutallab who tried to blow up a US airliner over Detroit Christmas 2009.

Earlier this year a Yemeni court sentenced Awlaki to ten years in prison because of his incitement to kill foreigners in Yemen. Numerous times U.S. and Yemeni forces tried to kill Awlaki in recent years. In May a U.S. drone strike missed the Al-Qaida cleric.

As there are contradicting reports about how and where exactely Anwar al-Awlaki was killed and the fact that U.S. officials are so quick confirming the terrorist´s death it is very likely Awlaki was killed either in a joint operation by the Yemeni and American forces or in a U.S. drone or airforce attack.