Multiple media outlets are reporting tonight that the U.S. targeted Qassim al-Rimi, the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula:
The United States conducted a strike recently targeting Qassim al-Rimi, the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a US official tells CNN https://t.co/Hy3Qi2eMlU
— CNN International (@cnni) January 31, 2020
President Trump reportedly gave the order earlier this week:
I'm told the order to hit Qassim al-Rimi was given by President Trump earlier this week after months of intelligence gathering.
— Shelley Carbone (@shelleycarbone) January 31, 2020
There was a $10 million bounty on his head:
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6. al-Rimi's growing importance in the al-Qaeda network can be traced by the amount of money that @StateDept put up for information leading to him. Initially set at $5 million, the bounty was doubled to $10 million in recent years: pic.twitter.com/fvE4zkdcI8
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) January 31, 2020
And we’re awaiting confirmation if the strike was successful or not:
7. We are waiting to hear from officials whether the strike succeeded. Much like Baghdadi, al-Rimi been declared dead before, only to resurface. Folks we spoke to urged caution. If he was taken out, it's another blow to al-Qaeda which has suffered the death of numerous leaders
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) January 31, 2020
Rita Katz, Director of the SITE Intelligence Group, started reporting on the strike way back on January 27:
1)An #AQAP leader was killed via U.S. drone strike in Wadi Ubaidah district of #Marib #Yemen, according to Yemeni news reports. The Wadi Ubaidah area is known as a long-standing stronghold for AQ militants in the country. Name of the leader was not stated.
— Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) January 27, 2020
2)Will be interesting to see which #AQAP official warranted the intel & military resources required to carry out a precise U.S. drone attack…AQAP in recent years has dwindled. As it stands now, top publicly known officials are leader Qassim al-Rimi and official Ibrahim al-Qosi. pic.twitter.com/GlGgygCqgB
— Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) January 27, 2020
And this is from January 30:
3)Breaking: It appears that Qasim al-Rimi, leader of the Yemen-based #AQAP, was the individual targeted & killed in a U.S. drone strike on Saturday, January 25 in Wadi Ubaidah, east of #Sanaa – a longtime stronghold for the group. AQAP has yet to officially confirm his death. pic.twitter.com/ohDcH2d8wz
— Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) January 30, 2020
4)If true, and it seems to be, the dead of al-Rimi would mark a major blow to #AlQaeda on the whole. Al-Rimi was a candidate for succeeding AQ leader Zawahiri.
— Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) January 30, 2020
We shall see:
5)As I said yesterday, all but confirmed that #AQAP leader Qassim al-Rimi was killed in a U.S. drone strike. AQAP, although reduced in vitality in recent years, remains dangerous + has est. itself as a rival to Houthi and ISIS militants in the country.https://t.co/SIkj03iQHg
— Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) January 31, 2020
More on his background:
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
7)#AQAP has not offered any confirmation of the death of its leader, which happened almost a week ago. Will be interesting to see how long the confirmation takes. The last major death in AQ leadership, #HamzaBinLaden, was never confirmed by the group.https://t.co/71sBSh3XTi
— Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) January 31, 2020
8)In his last speech, released in Nov. 2019, al-Rimi drew on his past experiences w/ AQ in #Afghanistan & #Yemen in dealing w/ difficult circumstances, rallying fighters in #Syria, urging them to avoid loyalty to factions if it interferes with best interests of the Muslim public pic.twitter.com/VHlpKbjVXz
— Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) January 31, 2020
We’ll keep you posted.
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