Evidence Suggests Al-Qaeda in Yemen Stronger Than US DoS Estimates

Recent photographs and other evidence suggest that al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the terror group’s affiliate in Yemen, has grown larger much than the US Department of State original estimates, the Soufan Group reported on Monday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — In its recent Country Reports on Terrorism for 2015, the State Department estimated that al-Qaeda in Yemen has about 4,000 members.

"Photographs of a massive AQAP [al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula] gathering in Mukallah [southern Yemen] in March, along with the group’s gains in the conflict, suggest that even the new estimate is likely too low," the report stated.

In the State Department’s reports from 2012-14, the group was originally believed to have around 1,000 members.

The report explained that, although AQAP left Yemen’s port city of Mukallah in April 2015, it was able to hold it for a year, which likely enabled the group’s continued growth.

Additionally, the group "looted an estimated $100 million from banks" and took in nearly $2 million per day on taxes at the port while it occupied Mukallah, according to media reports.

The ongoing Saudi Arabian-led military bombardment of Yemen and resulting humanitarian disaster has given the AQAP new ground for growth, the Soufan Group noted.