White House Confirms Killing Of Al-Qaeda Leader In Yemen By US

KEY POINTS

Qassim al-Rimi was killed in a counterterrorist operation by the United States
He was the leader of Islamist AQAP since 2015
Al-Rimi was the deputy to Osama Bin Laden's successor Ayman al-Zawahiri

The leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Qassim al-Rimi, has been killed by the United States, a statement released by the White House said.

According to the statement released Thursday, Qassim was killed in Yemen in a counterterrorism operation that was carried out at the behest of President Donald Trump. However, it was not confirmed when the operation took place or when Qassim was killed, NBC News reported.

Qassim took over as the leader of the Islamist group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which is often referred to as AQAP in 2015. Under Qassim, AQAP had carried out various acts of violence against the civilians of Yemen. He also tried to inspire numerous attacks against the U.S. and its forces, the statement said.

The White House says Qassim al-Rimi, the leader of the terror group al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was killed in an airstrike in Yemen https://t.co/QKgJQ7cFC3 pic.twitter.com/7FYReGQdfy
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 6, 2020

Qassim was on the United States’ most wanted terrorists list. He was also the deputy to Osama Bin Laden’s successor to Al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

“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 said. "The United States, our interests, and our allies are safer as a result of his death. We will continue to protect the American people by tracking down and eliminating terrorists who seek to do us harm.”

6)Of all living #AlQaeda leaders, al-Rimi was the most compelling, known for his charisma & beloved across the AQ community. #AQAP in Yemen has a longstanding history as being the most directly symbiotic w/ AQC. Thus, this is not only a blow to #AQAP but to AQ as a whole.
— Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) January 31, 2020

Last week, several tribal leaders in Yemen said that a drone strike, suspected to be carried out by the U.S., destroyed a building that was housing Al-Qaeda militants. President Trump retweeted and shared media reports of the Jan. 25 strikes which seemed to confirm that Qassim was killed in the strike. However, the White House had refrained from making an official statement as of now.

This is not the first time the U.S. tried to eliminate Qassim. Back in 2017, a Navy SEAL raid that took place in Yemen had a secret objective of killing Qassim, but he somehow managed to escape then, NBC News reported.

At that time, the defense department had denied that Qassim was a target and that the military had no intention of killing or capturing him in the operation.