White House Confirms Killing Of Al Qaeda Leader Qassim Al-Rimi In Yemen

The White House announced on Thursday that the United States had killed Qassim Al-Rimi, the leader and founder of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

What Happened

According to NBC News, a suspected U.S. drone strike had targeted a building housing the Al Qaeda militants on Saturday. Three explosions are said to have rocked Wadi Ubaidah areas in the eastern province of Marib, Yemen. President Trump later retweeted several tweets as well as media reports that mentioned the killing of Al-Rimi. 

A statement was released by the White House regarding the death of the AQAP leader, “Under Rimi, AQAP committed unconscionable violence against civilians in Yemen and sought to conduct and inspire numerous attacks against the United States and our forces. His death further degrades AQAP and the global al-Qa’ida movement, and it brings us closer to eliminating the threats these groups pose to our national security.”

No details of Al-Rimi’s death were released in the statement.

Why It Matters

Al-Rimi had released a video claiming that his group was behind the shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola, which took the lives of three American sailors and a Saudi aviation trainee.

According to CNBC, Al-Rimi had been placed on the United States’ most-wanted list of terrorists, and he was the deputy of Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is thought to be the leader of Al Qaeda.

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