The leader of the Al Qaeda branch in Yemen has been under arrest since October, and the terror group has faced erosion of its ranks as a result of desertion, according to a United Nations report released Thursday.
The report was official confirmation that AQAP chief Khalid Batarfi had been detained, following unconfirmed reports. His arrest represents a propaganda shame for the group, which promotes the idea of ”martyrdom” among its followers, and could potentially be invaluable to counter-terrorism efforts led by the United States.
Batarfi was arrested and his deputy, Saad Atef al Awlaqi, died during an “operation in Ghayda City, Al-Mahrah Governorate, in October,” according to the report to the UN Security Council of a UN monitoring team tracking Al Qaeda, Islamic. State and other extremist groups.
The report did not provide further details on the arrest or where Batarfi is being held.
The US intelligence community and the Pentagon were not immediately available for comment.
According to the UN report, AQAP had faced internal setbacks in recent months. “In addition to the loss of leadership, AQAP is suffering an erosion of its ranks as a result of disagreement and desertion, led mainly by one of Batarfi’s ex-lieutenants, Abu Omar al-Nahdi,” the report said.
But AQAP still posed a threat and had carried out a major attack in Lawdar in December, the report said.
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The United States had offered a $ 5 million reward for information about Bartafi, saying that he had trained with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, fought alongside the Taliban after 2001, and made public threats against the U.S. He was announced by the United States in 2018. State Department labeled a global terrorist.
The UN report also warned that a possible relaxation of the Covid-19 restrictions could pave the way for an increase in Islamic State attacks.