Analysis: AQAP’s new emir reaffirms allegiance to Zawahiri, praises Taliban

[TomSea]

Analysis: AQAP’s new emir reaffirms allegiance to Zawahiri, praises Taliban
By Thomas Joscelyn | March 23, 2020 | tjoscelyn@gmail.com | @thomasjoscelyn

On Mar. 19, al-Qaeda websites and social media channels distributed a new audio message from Khalid Batarfi, the new emir of AQAP.

Last week, al-Qaeda websites and social media channels shared an audio message from Khalid Batarfi, a U.S.-designated terrorist who was recently named the new emir of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Batarfi, a longtime al-Qaeda veteran, has a well-established media profile in jihadist circles, as he has regularly commented on current affairs since his escape from a Yemeni prison in 2015. But Batarfi’s latest message is one of his most important yet, because he has inherited the helm of one of al-Qaeda’s most important branches, albeit one that has suffered a string of setbacks.

Batarfi begins his address by reaffirming his and AQAP’s allegiance to Ayman al-Zawahiri, whom he refers to as “our most excellent sheikh and emir.” He reiterates a version of the bayat (oath of allegiance) that is popular among the jihadists.

Read more at:   https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2020/03/analysis-aqaps-new-emir-renews-allegiance-to-zawahiri-praises-taliban.php