Al-Qaeda’s leader in Yemen under arrest: UN report
The leader of al-Qaeda's Yemeni affiliate has been under arrest for several months, according to a United Nations report released on Thursday, in what will be seen as a huge breakthrough in the fight against the global jihadist threat. The document said Khalid Batarfi, the leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) for just under a year, was arrested and his deputy, Saad Atef al-Awlaqi, died during an "operation in Ghayda City, Al-Mahrah Governorate, in October." The report -- filed to the Security Council from a UN monitoring team specializing in extremist groups -- is the first official confirmation of Batarfi's arrest following unverified reports. Washington considers AQAP to be the worldwide jihadist network's most dangerous branch, and has waged a long-running drone war against the leaders of the group.
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