Nasir al-Wuhayshi

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Nasir al-Wuhayshi
ناصر الوحيشي
Wuhayshi in 2012
1st Emir of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
In office
20 January 2009 – 12 June 2015
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byQasim al-Raymi
3rd Emir of al-Qaeda in Yemen
In office
3 February 2006 – 20 January 2009
Preceded byMohammed al-Ahdal
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
Born(1976-10-01)1 October 1976
Drone strike
NicknameAbu Basir
Military service
Allegiance Al-Qaeda
Battles/wars

Nasir Abdel Karim al-Wuhayshi (

drone strike in Hadhramaut Governorate of Yemen on 12 June 2015.[10][11]

Early life

Nasir al-Wuhayshi was born on 1 October 1976 in the Mukayras region of what was then the Abyan Governorate of South Yemen but is now al-Bayda Governorate.[12][13] Little is known about his early life in Abyan, though various Yemeni journalists state that he came from an ordinary family.[14] He studied at a private religious institute in Yemen before graduating in 1998, and moved to Afghanistan in the months after Osama bin Laden's fatwa declaring war on the United States and Israel.[13][2]

Militancy career

1998–2003: Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden's secretary

Wuhayshi joined al-Qaeda in 1998 and was made Bin Laden's personal secretary. He was described as being "nearly inseparable" from Bin Laden while he listened to his counsels and acted as correspondence for him.

1998 US embassy bombings and the September 11 attacks.[18][19] Wuhayshi has been said to have modeled himself and his demeanour based on Bin Laden.[14]

Wuhayshi stuck alongside Bin Laden during the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.[19] A journalist recalls a story told to him by AQAP fighters where "during bombing raids, everyone else would scatter, but he [Wuhayshi] would stay by Bin Laden's side".[14] Wuhayshi was among the few al-Qaeda members chosen by Bin Laden to accompany him during his escape to the Tora Bora cave complex.[20] He fought at the Battle of Tora Bora until Bin Laden escaped to Pakistan and he was separated from the rest of al-Qaeda as the group scattered.[21][22] After the fall of the Taliban emirate, Wuhayshi fled to Iran, where he was subsequently arrested by authorities.[14]

2006–2009: Al-Qaeda in Yemen

Wuhayshi was extradited from Iran to Yemen in 2003, and was held for years without charge.

Jamal al-Badawi, a USS Cole bombing plotter who escaped alongside them.[25][16][14]

Much of Wuhayshi's reputation among the "second generation" of jihadists in Yemen and al-Qaeda in general came from his association with Bin Laden.[26][27][14] Wuhayshi "used Bin Laden’s blueprint from Afghanistan", according to an analyst, in order to rebuild the group in a manner which would allow it to withstand the loss of key leaders, which had previously led to its destruction in 2002 after the killing of Abu Ali al-Harithi, and maintain popular support. To do this, he sought to avoid the mistakes which led to the downfall of other al-Qaeda affiliates in Iraq and Saudi Arabia by limiting Muslim civilian casualties in attacks and providing clear rationales for what the group considered legitimate targets.[13][28]

AQY launched its first attack since regroup, a

e-magazine, and gave his permission to Nayif Muhammad al-Qahtani for him to produce it.[32] The group renamed itself to al-Qaeda in the Southern Arabian Peninsula (AQSAP) in the second issue of Sada al-Malahem released on 13 March 2008, in which Wuhayshi wrote "Jihad is a religious duty that God has made incumbent."[26] On 17 September 2008, AQSAP launched an attack on the US embassy in Sanaa, killing 16 in what was labeled the groups most sophisticated attack in years.[33] In November 2008, al-Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri publicly recognized Wuhayshi as the leader of al-Qaeda in the region.[34]

2009–2015: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

In January 2009, the al-Qaeda branches in Yemen and Saudi Arabia merged and formed al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Ayman Al-Zawahiri confirmed al-Wuhayshi's appointment as leader of AQAP in a video posted online.[7]

Nasir al-Wuhayshi and three other men appeared in several threatening videos released in January 2009.[35] Al Wuhayshi published an additional video calling for violence in February.[36] He claimed the increase in western warships off the Horn of Africa to fight piracy were really intended to oppress Islam.[37] On 10 May 2011, AQAP published a eulogy written by Wuhayshi for Bin Laden more than a week after his killing, in which he vowed more attacks against the US.[38] According to Yemeni military officials he was killed in southern Yemen on 28 August 2011.[39] On 25 October 2011, AQAP denied that he was killed.[40]

On 6 December, al-Wuhayshi released a statement on jihadist websites that AQAP would be intervening in the

Shi'a Houthi militia.[41] A member of a local tribe reported on 22 December that Abdel al-Wuhashi, a younger brother of Nasir, was killed by Yemeni military forces.[42]

In 2013, Al-Qaeda Emir Ayman al-Zawahiri appointed al-Wuhayshi as his deputy, speculating that he may be the next Emir of Al-Qaeda.[43][44]

In March 2014, al-Wuhayshi made an appearance in a video celebrating the mass jailbreak of fighters held in Yemeni prisons. Around 400 AQAP fighters were present in what was described as being the largest known gathering of al-Qaeda in Yemen. In the video, al-Wuhayshi declared, "We have to remove the Cross, and the bearer of the Cross, America."[45]

Death

Al-Wuhayshi was killed in a US drone strike in Yemen on 12 June 2015.[10] AQAP released a statement acknowledging his death several days later and announced Qasim al-Raymi as his successor.[11]

References

  1. ISSN 0261-3077
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  2. ^ a b "Profile: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula". BBC News. 16 July 2015. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  3. ^ El Deeb, Sarah (29 December 2009). "Inspired by bin Laden, Al-Qaida in Arabian Peninsula seeks to expand operations beyond Yemen". The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on 3 January 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
  4. ^ Gregory D. Johnsen (9 November 2007). "Al Qaeda's generational split".
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  5. ^ "2 tourists dead in attack in Yemen". International Herald Tribune. 18 January 2008. Archived from the original on 21 January 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2008.
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  7. ^ a b "Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula". Al Jazeera. 29 December 2009. Archived from the original on 4 September 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  8. ^ Michael, Maggie; Ahmed al-Haj (2009). "Report: Ex-Gitmo Detainee Joins Al-Qaida in Yemen". ABC News Internet Ventures. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 24 October 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2009. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is an umbrella group of various cells. Its current leader is Yemen's most wanted fugitive Naser Abdel Karim al-Wahishi
  9. ^ "Rewards for Justice – Reward Offers for Information on Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Leaders". Archived from the original on 30 January 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  10. ^ a b Dana Ford, CNN (15 June 2015). "Top al Qaeda leader reported killed in Yemen". CNN. Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2015. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  11. ^ a b "Al Qaeda in Yemen says leader killed in U.S. bombing". Reuters. 16 June 2015. Archived from the original on 16 June 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  12. ISSN 0261-3077
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  15. ^ "Qaeda leader's edict to Yemen affiliate is said to prompt US alert". Geo News. Agence France-Presse. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  16. ^ a b Johnsen, Gregory D. (27 February 2025). "Ignoring Yemen at Our Peril". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  17. ^ "CIA drone strike targets top Qaeda leader in Yemen: report". Dawn. Agence France-Presse. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  18. ^ Naughton, Philippe (16 June 2015). "From bin Laden aide to al Qaeda No 2". The Times. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  19. ^ a b Austerlitz, Saul (14 August 2013). "Newsmaker: Nasir Al Wuhayshi". The National. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  20. ^ Zerrouky, Madjid (16 June 2015). "Nasser Al-Wahishi, le secrétaire particulier de Ben Laden devenu chef d'AQPA" [Nasser Al-Wahishi, Bin Laden's private secretary who became head of AQAP]. Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 19 March 2025. [In 2001, as Washington intervened and pursued the network in Afghanistan, he accompanied the leader on his escape: "During this journey to the Tora Bora caves, where he faced twelve days of American bombardment, Bin Laden was surrounded by only a limited number of followers in order to minimize the risk of being detected," Al-Bahri recounts. An "epic" that AQAP did not fail to recall in its ten-minute eulogy posted online on Tuesday, June 16.]
  21. ^ "Nasir al-Wuhayshi, head of Yemen al-Qaeda, killed in U.S. airstrike". CBC News. Associated Press. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  22. ^ Browning, Noah; Ghobari, Mohammed (16 June 2015). "Al Qaeda deputy leader killed in U.S. bombing in Yemen". Reuters. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  23. ^ Higgins, Michael (9 August 2013). "How a 36-year-old built al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula into a feared terrorist group in just a few short years". National Post. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  24. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived
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  25. ^ "Yemen: Al Qaeda's Resurgence". Stratfor. 22 April 2008. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
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  27. ^ Boghani, Priyanka (16 June 2015). "Has the U.S. Killed the Most Important Al Qaeda Member Since Bin Laden?". Frontline. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  28. ^ Khan, Azmat (29 May 2012). "Understanding Yemen's Al Qaeda Threat". Frontline. PBS. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  29. ^ "Qaeda claims Yemen oil attacks, vows more strikes". Reuters. 9 August 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
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  31. ^ Al-Mahdi, Khaled (8 November 2007). "Yemeni Court Jails 32 Over Attacks". Arab News. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  32. ^ Johnsen, Gregory (21 December 2010). "AQAP: Propaganda and Recruiting in Yemen". Big Think. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  33. ^ "Yemen's Jihadis Raise Their Game With Embassy Attacks". ABC News. 17 September 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  34. ISSN 0882-7729. Archived
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  35. ^ "Two ex-Guantanamo inmates appear in Al-Qaeda video". Agence France-Presse. 25 January 2009. Archived from the original on 30 January 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  36. ^ "New al-Qaida message urges Yemenis to fight gov't". Associated Press. 19 February 2009. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
  37. ^ "Al-Qaeda leader urges Yemeni tribes to rise up against government". Earth Times. 19 February 2009. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2009. In an audiotape posted on Islamist web sites, al-Wahishi linked the clampdown on Jihadists in five desert provinces to the deployment of Western navy forces in the Gulf of Aden to fight piracy. "The parties have gathered in the land of faith and wisdom. French, British and Western crusaders, have come to the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden to surround the Island of Islam (Arabian Peninsula) from the sea," al-Wahishi said.
  38. ^ "Yemeni al-Qaeda vows attacks after bin Laden death". CBC News. Associated Press. 11 May 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  39. ^ Roggio, Bill (28 August 2011). "AQAP chief Nasir al Wuhayshi reported killed in southern Yemen". The Long War Journal. Public Multimedia Inc. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  40. ^ Roggio, Bill (26 October 2011). "AQAP denies emir Nasir al Wuhayshi killed in US airstrike". longwarjournal.org. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  41. ^ "Gulf of Aden Security Review – December 6, 2011". criticalthreats.org. Archived from the original on 12 February 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  42. ^ "Most Popular E-mail Newsletter". USA Today. 22 December 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  43. ^ "Rewards for Justice – Reward Offers for Information on Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Leaders". 19 January 2010. Archived from the original on 3 April 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  44. ^ "Al Qaeda leaders 'wanted to do something big' on Muslim holiday, sources say". NBC News. 5 August 2013. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  45. ^ "Al Qaeda's Second-In-Command Vows To Strike America In New Video". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
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