Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch announces death of leader Khalid Batarfi - BBC News

Khalid Batarfi, a Saudi with a $5m US bounty on his head, had been leader of the branch since 2020.

3 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsYemen crisisImage source, AQAPImage caption, The US had offered a $5m bounty for Khalid Batarfi, seen here in a 2021 video messageBy David GrittenBBC NewsAl-Qaeda's Yemen branch has announced the death of its leader, although the circumstances remain unclear.

A video published by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) showed Khalid Batarfi's body wrapped in a funeral shroud and the group's banner.

A statement read by a senior figure did not indicate how he died, but it used wording that did not suggest he was killed as his predecessor was.

Batarfi, a Saudi national who was in his 40s, became AQAP's leader in 2020.

The US designated him a global terrorist in 2018 and placed a $5m (£3.9m) bounty on his head.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68533649

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