Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #aqap

Most recents (24)

Ein bisschen "Special-Interest-Content" aus den #PentagonLeaks 🕵️‍♂️ 🧵: Nach Erkenntnissen des US-Militärgeheimdienstes #DIA behaupten die russischen Luft- und Weltraumstreitkräfte, sie hätten Ende Februar eine ukrainische Rakete durch elektronische Kampfmittel vom Kurs abgebracht
In den Geheimpapieren heißt es, es gebe Erkenntnisse wonach die Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten mit #Russland über die heimliche Einrichtung einer Anlage zur Reparatur und Instandsetzung von Kriegsgerät verhandeln würden.
#Terrorismus: Am 26. Februar sei der #AQAP-Terrorist Hamad al-Tamimi bei einem Luftangriff in der Marib Provinz im #Jemen getötet worden. Er soll Anschläge auf westliche Schiffe vor der jemenitischen Küste geplant haben. Sein Tod wurde bestätigt: english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-ea…
Read 8 tweets
1/ Important new video from #alQaeda in #Yemen features Sa'd al-Awlaqi. This rare appearance suggests how desperate #AQAP is to reach local tribes in #Abyan & #Shabwa. The message is overwhelmingly against #UAE, not #Iran as some commentators have said. Iran is barely mentioned
2/ #AQAP's Awlaqi accuses #UAE of igniting inter-tribal conflict & humiliating locals. Lists UAE aims in #Yemen as:
▪️Occupation
▪️Implementing plans of Jews & Christians
▪️Stripping Yemenis of religion, ethics, ties
▪️Stealing resources
▪️Disrupting trade
▪️Creating dependency
3/ In the new #AQAP video (11.40mins), #AlQaeda's Awlaqi mentions "The Emirates" as the enemy at least 8 times (many more if we count pronouns). #Iran is mentioned only twice, and as a relative afterthought following other enemies: UAE, Jews, Christians, America + henchmen.
Read 4 tweets
#alQaida's #Zawahiri "was the singular leader" per NCTC's Abizaid

"He was both symbolically important but also strategically important for what was a diverse network of affiliates"
#alQaida's Zawahiri's removal "a strategic & symbolic setback" per Abizaid

'The loss of him as that center of gravity does kind of test the ties that bind the rest of these affiliates, whether it's #Yemen based affiliate w/#AQAP, whether it's #JNIM...whether it's #Shabaab"
Who's #alQaida's next leader - unclear, per NCTC's Abizaid

"The best candidates are Saif al-Adel & Abdul Rahman al-Maghrebi, that are sitting in #Iran"
Read 5 tweets
1) Official wire of #alQaeda in #Yemen has just released a plea for freedom by @UN official kidnapped with 4 colleagues in February. It's emotional. Some is scripted, some clearly not. Begs for #AQAP demands to be met or "get the body bags ready" Image
2) Incredibly bizarre ending appears to implicate #China:
Captive reads from script, saying his message was recorded on 9 Aug following🇬🇧Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. He says that #China warned there would be consequences.
#AQAP #Yemen #alQaeda #Kidnapping
3) Other points of note
-We do not see or hear the other 4 captives
-Conditions clearly stressful (no daylight, no fresh air)
-Mentions mental & physical health issues
-Warns of same fate as Luke Somers
-No actual demands included
Read 5 tweets
"Terrorist groups remained a persistent & pervasive threat worldwide" per new @StateDept report

"Although #ISIS lost all the territory it had seized in #Iraq & #Syria, the organization & its branches continued to mount a worldwide terrorism campaign..."
"#ISIS affiliates outside #Iraq & #Syria caused more fatalities during 2020 than in any previous year" per new @StateDept CT report

"Deaths attributable to ISIS-affiliated attacks in West #Africa alone almost doubled from around 2,700 in 2017 to nearly 5,000 in 2020"
#alQaida's "networks continued to exploit undergoverned spaces, conflict zones, and security gaps in the #MiddleEast to acquire terrorist resources & conduct terrorist attacks" per new @StateDept CT report
Read 4 tweets
NEW: Just released @UN report warns of "heightened threats emerging" from #ISIS #alQaida affiliated groups worldwide

"This is especially true in parts of West and East #Africa" per the report, based on member state intelligence
In West/East #Africa, affiliates of #ISIS #alQaida "can boast gains in supporters and territory under threat, as well as growing capabilities in fundraising & weapons, for example, in the use of drones" per the @UN report
#ISIS in #Syria "has evolved into an entrenched insurgency, exploiting weaknesses in local security to find safe havens & targeting forces engaged in counter-ISIL operations" per the @UN report
Read 55 tweets
#Sahel: Today, #JNIM released the video "If they fight you, fight them". It's been almost three years since JNIM released their last full-length video with combat footage, namely "And the Battle Continues".
#Sahel: This could be explained by several factors: First, the focus has been on the political line; second, JNIM's official media presence has declined significantly, and this is against the backdrop of several key media figures (in #Algeria and #Mali) being killed
#Sahel: The decline is particularly relevant when compared to #ISGS, which received major boost from its formal integration into #IslamicState's organizational infrastructure & media apparatus. However, this last video marks the effective recovery of #JNIM media wing Al-Zallaqa.
Read 20 tweets
[THREAD] 1/ Over the past year, the Islamic State claimed 2767 military operations. The overwhelming majority of these attacks targeted Sunni Muslims, although the group never described them as such. 40 attacks were against Shia civilians. 34 attacks against Christians/churches.
2/ Detail about the methodology: I gathered the data from the 53 issues of IS weekly magazine al-Naba’ published in 2020 (cf. the front page of the issue 219). For every single claimed attack, I analysed the following information: target, weapons used, spoils of war, geolocation. Image
3/ The first finding is that IS was a bit less active in 2020 than in 2019: - 423 military operations. #Iraq was in the first place. #ISWAP and to a lesser extent #ISCAP were on the rise and regularly on the front page of al-Naba'. #ISKP and IS in East Asia were much less active. Image
Read 9 tweets
1/ Startling video just released by #AlQaeda #Yemen includes leader #Batarfi (supposedly captured in Oct) & looks genuinely new. Opens with dramatic footage of storming of US Congress on 6 Jan. Delights in US domestic strife. Hopes this heralds 🇺🇸 downfall
#TrumpImpeachment #AQAP
2/ In new #AQAP #Yemen video, #Batarfi mentions (at 7.55 minutes) that the USA has suffered over 400,000 deaths from #Covid19. This dates the recording to AFTER 15 January 2021 (so well after Batarfi's supposed capture in October 2020). True to form, he includes a long #poem...
3/ Wait! #Batarfi's spoken #Arabic differs slightly from the English subtitle. He says حال so could be 400,000 cases not "perished" as per transcript. This would date Batarfi's speech footage to April2020. That fits with our last *new* footage from him: his Ramadan lecture series
Read 5 tweets
After a week of reinforcements & preparations, #Houthis/#Ansarullah restarted offensive to capture #Marib city. After some hours of combats, advances were reported in Meghdal, Jawf & Rahabah/Harib axis, while #YSF hold its positions in Sirwah, Raghwan & Jabal Murad axis so far.
Small #Houthi/#Ansarullah advances in Jawf, Raghwan, Sirwah & Jabal Murad axis. Battles are very hard in all Marib fronts as #YSF is putting heavy resistance. New map in the next hours...
Bloody day today between both sides in #Marib, specially Sirwah front. #Houthi/#Ansarullah retreated from some positions while #YSF is being very pressured in Jawf & northern Marib axis.
Read 61 tweets
1. The Yemen Syllabus shares must-read publications on #Yemen. These include books, reports & articles, broken down by theme. With 20 book recommendations, the Syllabus is sure to provide valuable insights for anyone looking for a general overview.
sanaacenter.org/files/The_YEME…
2. Our Yemen Syllabus contains lists of journalists, academics, and analysts who have worked and published on #Yemen (in English). You can find their Twitter accounts curated on the syllabus, as well as some of their recommended publications.
3. Always a recommendation, Paul Dresch’s book “A History of Modern Yemen” is a definitive read for anyone seeking to understand pre-2011 #Yemen - as is @DrSarahPhillips’ “Yemen and the Politics of Permanent Crisis.”
Read 23 tweets
My second paper for @GI_TOC has just gone live.

It presents the first evidence of a criminal network based in #Somalia involved in the transfer of arms from #Iran to the #Houthis.

Some highlights (thread):

globalinitiative.net/analysis/iran-…
The dhow Al Bari 2 was seized in the Gulf of Aden by the #Saudi Navy on 24 June 2020. It was discovered to be carrying a consignment of arms reportedly destined for the #Houthi administration in #Yemen.

Here's a full list of the seizure contents: Image
The head of the network responsible for the Al Bari 2 smuggling operation is Mohamed Omar Salim, a Somali national based in Bosaso. Salim's network has links to #Somaliland, Yemen, the #UAE, and Iran.
Read 14 tweets
Attack in Jedda Saudi Arabia at non-Muslim cemetery injures at least three during ceremony commemorating end of World War I, where representatives from numerous countries were present and injured. No group has yet claimed responsibility.

aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/1…
2)While not clear who was behind the attack, it does come amid incitements against Saudi Arabia from #ISIS spox specifically calling on Saudis to attack Western nationals in the country, which catalyzed a large-scale media campaign from IS-linked groups w/ posters, vids & quotes ImageImageImageImage
3)Its also worth noting that #AQAP, which has a history of attacking #SaudiArabia, recently criticized the country in an Aug. speech from top official Qosi. The speech incited for violence, but specifically the assassination of Saudi Crown Prince, not random foreign nationals. Image
Read 6 tweets
"Lawlessness has festered in too many of our communities" @HomelandKen tells Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee

"The department will always uphold the right to peacefully protest, but there is no right to loot, to burn or to assault others"
"President Trump has made it clear that we cannot and will not allow acts of violence, intimidation or chaos to prevail in American streets" per @DHSgov @HomelandKen

"The Department of homeland security is proud to participate in implementing such policies"
re #Election2020 - "Our goal at DHS, our fundamental goal, is to ensure that American voters decide American elections" per @HomelandKen "As we sit here in September of 2020, it seems an important point worth reiterating"
Read 35 tweets
Bij #NPO dramaserie over NL commando's. Dat is natuurlijk veel spannender dan wat echt aan de hand is in Nigeria, Burkina Faso en Ivoorkust. #journaal heeft al maanden niets meer gerapporteerd over ontwikkelingen mbt de mondiale jihad. acleddata.com/2020/08/24/in-…
Read 43 tweets
1/3
New scenes, massive sweep op against #AlQaeda / #AQAP & #ISIS in AlBayda, by Yemeni armed forces & Ansarallah (#Houthis). MSM will never report such true victory on extremist; they seem to prefer the fiction action version of it!
2/3
New scenes, massive sweep op against #AlQaeda / #AQAP & #ISIS in AlBayda, by Yemeni armed forces & Ansarallah (#Houthis). MSM will never report such true victory on extremist; they seem to prefer the fiction action version of it!
3/3
New scenes, massive sweep op against #AlQaeda / #AQAP & #ISIS in AlBayda, by Yemeni armed forces & Ansarallah (#Houthis). MSM will never report such true victory on extremist; they seem to prefer the fiction action version of it!
Read 4 tweets
#alQaida "further entrenching in regions beyond its historical stronghold in #Afghanistan" per latest @UN report

"It exploits the tarnished #ISIL [#ISIS] brand & societal fractures to enhance legitimacy & gain local traction & recruits" per the report
#alQaida "is covertly active in 12 #Afghan provinces & Ayman al-#Zawahiri remains based in the country" per @UN report based on member state intel

Total number of AQ core fighters in #Afghanistan est. to be 400-600
#alQaida core leadership "maintains close contact w/the #Haqqani Network" per @UN report, which adds AQ's #Zawahiri met w/Yahya Haqqani in Feb. 2020 "to discuss ongoing cooperation"
Read 8 tweets
#ISIS-#Yemen struggling, per @UN member state intelligene

"Besides its weakening military capabilities, the group suffers from a lack of financial resources & struggles to pay fighters.. #ISIL core may lose interest in ISIL-Yemen if it cannot improve its performance"
#ISIS-#Yemen primarily in Bayda’ & Dali‘ Governorates, per @UN report

#AQAP rejected tentative #ISIS truce offer after failed attempt to grab control of strategic logistic lines in Bayda'
Interesting: #ISIS-#Houthi connection?

"One Member State reports recent Houthi cooperation with #ISIL-#Yemen, including in the form of an exchange of prisoners in April 2020" per @UN report
Read 3 tweets
Working on a project the last couple of months about the history of #Al_Qaeda and where it is now. A big takeaway: there has probably never been a moment when the group is so manipulated, influenced, and even controlled in places by state powers.
The role of state intelligence services in manipulating and using terrorist groups for their own ends remains nearly absent in Terrorism Studies; most people even think it's all "conspiracy theory" talk. But it's such a massive operational factor that this is weird.
.@ReuelMGerecht once wrote that the 'nonstate' actor ... designation [of Al-Qaeda] was always more myth than fact". If he overstated, it wasn't by much. ocregister.com/2011/05/07/reu…
Read 12 tweets

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