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NEWS ABOUT: al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

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Syrian Jihadis Pledge Allegiance to al-Qaeda

But powerful al-Nusra denies reports of official merger

(Newser) - The head of Jabhat al-Nusra, a jihadist group at the forefront of Syria's civil war, has pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda honcho Ayman al-Zawahiri. What that means isn't exactly crystal clear at this point. While Al-Qaeda in Iraq says the groups have merged under the snappy title of the... More »

Protests Calm Down; al-Qaeda Calls for More

Terror group praises killing of US ambassador

(AP) - Al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen today praised the killing of the US ambassador in Libya and called for more attacks to expel American embassies from Muslim nations. The statement, posted on Islamic militant websites, suggested al-Qaeda was trying to co-opt the wave of angry protests over the anti-Islamic movie whose... More »

Airstrike Kills al-Qaeda No. 2: Yemen

Missile, likely from US drone, kills Saeed al-Shihri

(AP) - Yemeni officials say an airstrike has killed al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's No. 2 leader, along with five others traveling with him in a car. Defense Ministry officials say today's attack killed the deputy, Saudi national Saeed al-Shihri, as he left a house in the southern Hadramawt province.... More »

Al-Awlaki's Dad Sues US

Along with mother of another American killed in drone strike

(Newser) - The families of three Americans killed in US drone strikes in Yemen are suing the government, arguing that it had no right to assassinate them without a trial. The wrongful-death suit was filed yesterday by Nasser al-Awlaki, father of Anwar al-Awlaki, and Sarah Khan, mother of Samir Khan, the BBC... More »

US May Send Jets to Yemen

But some are worried about a backlash

(Newser) - The US military is considering sending military aircraft, vehicles, and other supplies to Yemen to help the government in its fight against terrorists. Yemen currently relies on beat-up Soviet-era helicopters and trucks, and some commanders tell the LA Times that upgrading those capabilities will allow them to capitalize on recent... More »

Al-Qaeda Enemy No. 1 Killed in Yemen

Suicide bombing follows recent military successes

(AP) - A suicide bomber assassinated Yemen's army commander leading the fight against al-Qaeda in the country's south, the defense ministry said, just days after the military made major gains in its campaign to rout militants from their southern strongholds. Maj. Gen. Salem Ali al-Quton was traveling in a three-car... More »

US: Yes, We're Fighting in Somalia, Yemen

Obama acknowledges battles against extremists there

(Newser) - For the first time, President Obama has publicly acknowledged the United States has engaged in "direct action" against al-Qaeda-affiliated groups in Somalia and Yemen, telling Congress in a letter that the militants pose terrorist threats to "the United States and our interests," reports the New York Times... More »

Clinton: We Hacked Yemeni al-Qaeda Sites

Terror boasts were replaced with info on civilian deaths

(Newser) - Al-Qaeda has issued a call for "electronic jihad," but it looks like the terror group has been outgunned by State Department experts. Hillary Clinton, speaking at the Special Operations Command gala dinner last night, said that American specialists had hacked into al-Qaeda sites in Yemen that "bragged... More »

Bomb-Plot Busting Double-Agent Is British

CIA not happy about this leak

(Newser) - Another tantalizing—and potentially damaging—tidbit has leaked about the double-agent who foiled an al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula underwear bomb plot. The agent is of Saudi descent but lived for years in Britain, where he spent some time with jihadist sympathizers and acquired a British passport, sources tell CNN... More »

Officials Watching for 'Body Bombs' on Planes

Threat of surgically implanted bombs is real: officials

(Newser) - As the anniversary of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden looms, security for US-bound flights has been stepped up around the world. While authorities say that there is no specific information of an impending attack timed for the anniversary, one threat that officials are watching for is "body... More »

Gutted al-Qaeda Incapable of Another 9/11: Experts

Core 'essentially gone,' but spinoff groups a concern

(Newser) - Al-Qaeda today is mostly a spent force, unable to carry out another 9/11-style attack, said US intelligence officials yesterday, reports Reuters . The mostly anonymous assessment—in a conference call led by Robert Cardillo, deputy director of US national intelligence—came one year after the killing of Osama bin Laden , with... More »

CIA Wants Green Light to Bomb Yemen at Will

Asks for OK to launch strikes even if it's not sure who will be killed

(Newser) - CIA Director David Petraeus has requested permission to launch drone strikes in Yemen even when the agency is not sure who the strikes might kill. Instead, the CIA would launch attacks based on patterns of suspicious activity, much the way it does in Pakistan, a tactic known as "signature... More »

Iran Willing to Attack US: Report

Director of National Intelligence thinks Iran is 'plotting against US interests'

(Newser) - Iran no longer appears to have any reservations about launching attacks on US soil, National Intelligence Director James Clapper said in Senate testimony today. The new assessment is based in part on Iran's alleged attempt to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the US. The incident "shows that some... More »

Saleh Staying Put in Yemen

President's party claims the country needs him

(Newser) - Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh has backed out of a plan to travel to the US for medical treatment . The official line is that Saleh was persuaded to stay by his party, which told him that his strife-torn country needed him, the New York Times reports. Saleh, after months... More »

Al-Qaeda Militants Escape Yemen Prison

Anywhere from 10 to 15 flee Aden prison

(Newser) - Just months after almost 60 suspected al-Qaeda militants escaped from a Yemen jail , another 10 to 15 militants broke out of another Yemen prison early today. The convicts fled through a tunnel as long as 130 feet that took them under the Aden prison and dropped them off outside the... More »

Obama Mulls Release of Awlaki Memo

As al-Qaeda chides US for contradicting its own values

(Newser) - The Obama administration is currently debating whether to release a legal memo outlining its rationale for assassinating American citizen Anwar al-Awlaki without a trial. Some argue the disclosure could quiet questions about the killing, sources tell CNN , while others say the memo is too sensitive, since it refers to a... More »

US, Yemen at Odds Over Counterterror Strategy

US doesn't want to get involved in a Yemen civil war

(Newser) - The US and Yemen shared a counterterrorism victory with the death of Anwar al-Awlaki , but behind the scenes, relations are growing tense. Yemen complains the US isn’t helping fight al-Qaeda-affiliated militants within its borders, while the US has publicly called for Ali Abdullah Saleh’s ouster, and is wary... More »

Secret Panel Placed Awlaki on Kill List

No records, no laws for National Security Council subset

(Newser) - This is sure to ramp up the debate over whether the US was right to kill one of its own citizens, Anwar al-Awlaki: Reuters reports that a secretive panel places militants like him on a kill or capture list, and that there are no public records of the panel's... More »

Was US Right to Kill One of Its Own Citizens?

Bloggers disagree on killing of Anwar al-Awlaki

(Newser) - The killing of Anwar al-Awlaki has set off a spirited debate on one key point—the US just killed one of its own citizens. (In fact, it killed two .) A sampling:
  • Out of line: Glenn Greenwald at Salon is outraged. Whatever happened to due process, a right that citizen
... More »

Awlaki's Death May Mean Little in Yemen

But in the US, he was among top terror targets

(Newser) - While the US will see the death of Anwar al-Awlaki as a key victory against al-Qaeda, those in Yemen are more likely to shrug their shoulders at the news—and it’s “debatable” whether the killing will have much impact on al-Qaeda’s operations, writes Dan Murphy in the... More »

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