World

Al Qaeda urges followers to hit back at U.S. following Yemen raid

Al Qaeda’s offshoot in Yemen exhorted followers over the weekend to take on the U.S. in response to a raid by American commandos that killed senior figures in the group, while the militants launched fresh attacks on territory held by the internationally recognized government.

Qasim al-Raymi, the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, compared his group to extremists fighting American forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, according to a speech translated by SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks extremist activities and messaging.

“My message to our lions in the battlefield [is] here comes America, stepping on your land with its arrogance and pride,” Mr. Raymi said on Saturday, according to SITE. “Remind it with the raids of Mogadishu, the victories of Kandahar, and the persistence of Fallujah,” he added, referring to cities in Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively.

You've reached your daily free article limit.

Subscribe and support our veteran writing staff to continue reading.

Get Full Ad-Free Access For Just $0.50/Week

Enjoy unlimited digital access to our Military Culture, Defense, and Foreign Policy coverage content and support a veteran owned business. Already a subscriber?

Al Qaeda’s offshoot in Yemen exhorted followers over the weekend to take on the U.S. in response to a raid by American commandos that killed senior figures in the group, while the militants launched fresh attacks on territory held by the internationally recognized government.

Qasim al-Raymi, the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, compared his group to extremists fighting American forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, according to a speech translated by SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks extremist activities and messaging.

“My message to our lions in the battlefield [is] here comes America, stepping on your land with its arrogance and pride,” Mr. Raymi said on Saturday, according to SITE. “Remind it with the raids of Mogadishu, the victories of Kandahar, and the persistence of Fallujah,” he added, referring to cities in Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively.

“Burn the land beneath their feet and make them hear the whispers of Satan,” Mr. Raymi urged, referring to President Donald Trump as “the new fool of the White House.”

A Yemeni man walks near a painting of U.S. drone on the wall in San’a, Yemen, on Jan. 29.PHOTO: MOHAMMED MOHAMMED/ZUMA PRESS

 

Read the whole story from The Wall Street Journal.

Featured image courtesy of AFP.

About SOFREP News Team View All Posts

The SOFREP News Team is a collective of professional military journalists. Brandon Tyler Webb is the SOFREP News Team's Editor-in-Chief. Guy D. McCardle is the SOFREP News Team's Managing Editor. Brandon and Guy both manage the SOFREP News Team.

COMMENTS

You must become a subscriber or login to view or post comments on this article.

More from SOFREP

REAL EXPERTS.
REAL NEWS.

Join SOFREP for insider access and analysis.

TRY 14 DAYS FREE

Already a subscriber? Log In