Drone strike in Yemen kills Al-Qaeda deputy chief
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 17 July 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Drone strike in Yemen kills Al-Qaeda deputy chief, 17 July 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/52089458d.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
July 17, 2013
A still from a 2009 video shows former Guantanamo detainee Abu Sufyan al-Azdi.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has confirmed that its deputy leader in Yemen was killed in a drone strike.
Senior AQAP official Ibrahim al-Rubaish announced in a video posted on July 17 that Said al-Shehri, also known as Abu Sufyan al-Azdi, was killed, but he did not say when.
Yemeni government officials had announced several times that the Saudi-born militant had been killed, most recently in late January.
The U.S. military released al-Shehri from detention at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2007 and he reportedly went through a rehabilitation program in Saudi Arabia.
He disappeared after completing the program, later surfacing as an Al-Qaeda leader in Yemen.
A Washington-based think tank, New America Foundation, reports the United States carried about 53 drone strikes in Yemen in 2012.
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
Link to original story on RFE/RL website