Notable Members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's (AQAP's) strong ties to the al Qaeda core set the group apart from other regional al Qaeda nodes. These connections allow AQAP to serve as a rallying point for elements of the now-dismantled al Qaeda core, but much of AQAP's core leadership has vital terrorist tradecraft skills and abilities that are difficult to impart to other members. This organizational leadership structure has the potential to cripple AQAP's transnational capabilities. The group's dependence on a few key leaders is a critical operational vulnerability should those individuals be captured or killed, but AQAP remains the most capable and active al Qaeda franchise.

Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of our AQAP series for more on the capabilities and constraints of AQAP, the Yemen-based al Qaeda franchise.