Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) formed in January 2009 as a merger between the Yemeni and Saudi al Qaeda branches. Operatives work in cells throughout the country and rely on tribal support for shelter. The group seeks to establish an Islamic state and has executed attacks on Western interests.
Capabilities:
AQAP has historically targeted western interests in Yemen; however, the 2009 Christmas Day attack, October 2010 parcel plot, and May 2012 bomb plot showed that the group has international capabilities.
English-language outreach:
AQAP is the first al Qaeda franchise to publish in English.
Anwar al Awlaki
, an American-born cleric, headed the group's English-language outreach from Yemen and advocated for the Muslim community to wage violent jihad.
Guantanamo Detainees:
Yemen continues to be a destination for former Guantanamo detainees, some of whom are part of the AQAP leadership.
Recent Publications
AQAP Expanding behind Yemen's Frontlines
AQAP a Resurgent Threat
,
CTC Sentinel
A New Model for Defeating al Qaeda in Yemen
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Mid-Level Leadership
AQAP jailbreak is just another problem for Yemen
Al Qaeda's role in Paris attacks underscores failings of counterterrorism strategy
AQAP hostage Somers is a symptom of Yemen model problems
Warning: AQAP's Looming Threat in Yemen
AQAP's Campaign against the Yemeni Military
Testimony: AQAP's Role in the al Qaeda Network
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula: Leaders and their Networks
Al Qaeda's Yemen-based Affiliate is Alive and Well
,
Daily Caller
Insurgency in Yemen: The New Challenge to American Counter-Terrorism Strategy
Map of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Attacks in Yemen
The Death of AQAP's Anwar al Awlaki
English-Language Outreach
Expanding the Campaign of Violence: Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's English-Language Magazine
Quick Take: Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's English-Language Magazine
Eliminating al-Awlaki,
The Corner: National Review Online
Militant Islam's Global Preacher: The Radicalizing Effect of Sheikh Anwar al Awlaki
Quick Take: Anwar al Awlaki - Militant Islam's Global Preacher
The Threat from al Qaeda
Ten Years After 9/11: Al Qaeda's Reemergence in Yemen
Al Qaeda's Gains in South Yemen
Terror Partnership: AQAP and Shabaab
Al Qaeda's Yemen Strategy
Unrest in Yemen Could Benefit AQAP,
The Corner: National Review Online
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in 2010: The Intensification of the Near War
The Shifting Tactics of AQAP,
The Corner: National Review Online
The Continued al Qaeda Threat from Yemen,
The Daily Caller
Christmas Day Attack: Manifestation of AQAP Shift Targeting America
Christmas Day 2009 Airline Bombing: Yemen and al Qaeda Context
Background
Tracker: AQAP and Suspected AQAP Attacks in 2010 and 2011
Testimony Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
January 15th Strike: Targeting al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Leaders and Implications
Critical Threats Project Briefing on Yemen and AQAP
Quick Take: Yemen, AQAP, and a Way Forward
Denying al Qaeda a Safe Haven in Yemen
IN THIS SECTION
AQAP is well on its way to reconstituting the emirate it held in 2011 and 2012 almost unnoticed by the outside world. U.S. airstrikes have had no effect at all on its expansion and have not significantly degraded the group’s ability to target the United States. AQAP is becoming an ever-more serious threat to American national security, and no one is doing much about it.
An archive of the 2016 Yemen Crisis Situation Reports.
Al Qaeda’s Yemen-based affiliate has been quietly expanding as the country descends further into civil war. It may be one of the few beneficiaries of Yemen’s collapse, other than the Islamic State, which is developing its own Yemeni franchise.
The terrorist threat from Yemen is growing. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has expanded and strengthened as the Yemeni state has collapsed. The US must identify a way forward and lead a coordinated regional response in Yemen.
The Islamic State in Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) is attempting to expand its footprint in Yemen. A Timestream case study reveals insights into ISIS's reach inside of Yemen.
The al Houthi movement, an armed Zaydi Shi’a group that fought six wars with the Yemeni state between 2004 and 2010, expanded its influence in Yemen considerably in 2014.
The Islamic State in Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) claimed a coordinated attack in Yemen’s capital hours after it occurred. The timing of ISIS’s spectacular attack may mark the beginning of an ISIS Ramadan offensive in Yemen.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) ability to produce and train new leaders remains unabated despite years of Yemeni and U.S. counterterrorism operations. AQAP’s resilience stems from its formalized mid-level leadership structure with three components: a chain of command, a training and education program, and a consistent promotion process.
An archive of the 2015 Yemen Crisis Situation Reports.
Saudi military deployments to the Yemeni border since Operation Decisive Storm (now Operation Restoring Hope) was launched on March 25, 2015, are drawn from both Royal Saudi Land Forces and Saudi Arabian National Guard units.