Yemeni Prime Minister Mohammed Salem Basindwa escaped an assassination attempt when unidentified gunmen opened fire on his motorcade in Sanaa on Aug. 31, the prime minister's security chief said, Al Jazeera reported.
Though al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula faces limitations in its ability to launch attacks against Western interests, it remains the most capable al Qaeda franchise.
An air strike believed to have been carried out by a U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle (colloquially known as a drone) killed five suspected members of al Qaeda on June 9, a tribal source said, AFP reported.
Seven suspected al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militants were killed by two unmanned aerial vehicle strikes in southern Yemen on June 1, a local official said, Reuters reported.
With the Yemeni government struggling to maintain power in 2011, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was able to expand and seize portions of southern Yemen. The group is the most active jihadist franchise and has been the most successful in attempted attacks against the U.S. homeland. AQAP's growing ability to use ambushes, roadside improvised explosive devices and sticky bombs as well as its connections to the al Qaeda core indicate the group will likely continue to be a domestic and transnational threat.
