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Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has announced the passing of its leader, Khalid Batarfi, on Sunday.

In a statement, the terrorist organization said, “Allah took his soul while he patiently sought his reward and stood firm … and waged jihad for his sake.” The statement released by AQAP did not specify a cause of death, though they did announce a successor, Sa’d bin ‘Atef al-Awlaki, who was a deputy of Batarfi.

Al-Awlaki, last seen in a February 2023 video, has called upon Sunni tribesmen in Yemen to resist cooperation with the United Arab Emirates and the Southern Transitional Council against AQAP.

More on Batarfi:
This leadership change comes after Batarfi’s tenure as head of the organization, which began in early 2020 following the death of his predecessor, Qassim al-Raymi, in a United States counterterrorism operation. Batarfi’s leadership period was marked by significant events, including his release as part of a group of 150 AQAP members during the capture of Mukalla, a Yemeni port city, in 2015.