On May 7, 2015, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula announced the death of its top official Sheikh Nassir bin 'Ali Al-Ansi, who, along with his son and a few other men, were killed in a U.S. drone strike.
In the last several months, Al-Ansi appeared in several AQAP videos. He had gained prominence especially after other key AQAP figures were killed, also in U.S. drone strikes.[1] Al-Ansi's death thus signifies another major blow to AQAP whose leadership has been practically eradicated.
AQAP's announcement was delivered by Khalid Batirfi, aka Abu Al-Miqdad Al-Kindi, an AQAP commander who was freed last month by AQAP in its attack on the central prison in Al-Mukalla, capital of Hadramout governorate in Yemen.[2] A few hundred other prisoners also reportedly escaped during the prison break.
Khalid Batirfi
Batirfi announces the death of Al-Ansi, which, he says, took place after his nearly two decades of jihad journey. Batirfi notes some of the places visited by Al-Ansi during that time, including the Philippines, Kashmir, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Yemen. He says that Al-Ansi had received religious and military training at the hands of the best people in each field, and had known top Al-Qaeda figures like Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri, among others. Batirfi also says that despite dedicating almost a decade of his life to religious studies, Al-Ansi was involved also in holding military workshops, and in authoring various military encyclopedias. He also says that Al-Ansi had trained fighters and sent them to Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.
Addressing the mujahideen, Batirfi informs them that their battle with the enemies of Islam has been in fact a blessing bestowed upon them by Allah. He also reminds them that despite the hefty price paid in killed and imprisoned men, the mujahideen have nonetheless managed to continue their journey. Batirfi tells them that these days people are more receptive to the mujahideens' message, which Batirfi considers a victory in and of itself. He also reminds the mujahideen that the death of jihad leaders has always been a common thing, especially when major events and achievements were taking place on the ground. In that regard, he mentions, for example, how 'Abdallah 'Azzam died after the defeat of the Soviets in Afghanistan, and how Osama bin Laden was killed following the onset of the Arab Spring.
Turning to AQAP's enemies, namely the Crusaders (i.e. the U.S.), Batirfi boasts that killing the mujahideen will not affect the jihad, while noting that once a jihad leader is killed, another takes his place. He also says that the killing of the mujahideen has failed to bring victory to their enemies, and has led, in fact, to Muslims turning to jihad even more. "You have killed from among us thousands of martyrs, but were you able to stop our surge or divert our path?" he asks, adding, "You have fought our religion, but [you ended up] increasing the Muslims' dedication to the call of jihad and fighting."
Source: Twitter.com/AALMOJA3, May 7, 2015.
Endnotes:
[1] See MEMRI JTTM reports AQAP Confirms Death Of Its Top Religious Figure, Former Gitmo Prisoner Ibrahim Al-Rubaish, April 14, 2015; AQAP Announces Deaths Of Four Activists In U.S. Drone Strike, Among Them Senior Official And Ideologue Sheikh Hareth Al-Nazari, February 5, 2015.
[2] See MEMRI JTTM report Report: AQAP Attacks Prison In Al-Mukalla, Frees Over 300 Prisoners, April 2, 2015.
