MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Nasir Wuhayshi, the founder and leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP), the Yemeni offshoot of the terrorist organization, was killed Friday in a US drone strike, CNN reported Monday, quoting Yemeni national security officials.
The confirmation for these reports is currently being sought for by the US authorities, a US intelligence official said, according to CNN.
Wuhayshi assumed command of AQAP in 2009 following the merger of the al-Qaeda branches in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
The future AQAP leader served as a secretary for Osama bin Laden, the founder of global militant organization al-Qaeda, in Afghanistan before his appointment as the AQAP chief.
AQAP has entrenched itself in Yemen over the past year due to fierce, prolonged clashes between government forces and Houthi militias in the country.
