The rise of AQAP dissected

[davidbfpo]

I am sure AQAP feature in a number of threads, but to my surprise it does not have its own thread.

The catalyst for my thoughts came from this excellent CNN article, by Paul Cruickshank; which opens:

There may be a link between what sources tell CNN is evidence of final-stage planning for an attack against U.S and Western interests by al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen and the reported recent appointment of the affiliate's leader as the new general manager of the global al Qaeda network.

Seth Jones, a senior analyst at the Rand Corporation, told CNN's Barbara Starr on Friday that intelligence indicated that Nasir al Wuhayshi, the Yemeni leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), had recently been appointed into the role by al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri.

The appointment would effectively thrust Wuhayshi, a Yemeni national, into the No. 2 position in the global al Qaeda terrorist network, a position previously held by the Libyan Abu Yahya al Libi before his death in a drone strike in Pakistan in June 2012.

Link:http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2013/0...-chief-deputy/

Note revenge for losses, invariably caused by drone strikes, plays a large role.

ICSR predicted this role a year ago:http://icsr.info/2012/05/icsr-insigh...ous-franchise/