AQAP announces death of its leader, Khalid Batarfi

SANAA, March 11 (YPA) – Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) announced the death of its leader, Khalid Batarfi, also known as Abu al-Miqaddad al-Kindi, on Sunday.

The organization broadcasted a eulogy for Batarfi’s death, delivered by senior Al-Qaeda leader Khabib al-Sudani, and published images of Batarfi’s body after burial.

Al-Qaeda stated that its Shura Council had chosen Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki, also known as Abu Laith, as the new leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, succeeding Khalid Batarfi.

Al-Qaeda did not specify the reasons behind Batarfi’s death. However, its reference to him in the eulogy with the phrase “may Allah have mercy on him,” instead of the customary “may Allah accept him,” is considered an indication by the organization that the death was natural and not the result of an airstrike, unlike previous leaders of the organization in Yemen.

Observers of Al-Qaeda affairs speculate that Batarfi’s death, for whom the United States had offered a reward of $5 million for his capture, may have been due to the liver disease he was suffering from.

E.M