December 8, 2017
Release Number 20171208-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. airstrikes killed five al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militants in al-Bayda Governorate, Yemen, Nov. 20 in an effort to disrupt AQAP attack networks.
Mujahid al-Adani, an AQAP Shabwah leader, was killed in the strikes, along with al-Bayda-based facilitator Abu Layth al-Sanaani and three AQAP associates.
Al-Adani, also known as Mohammad Shukri, previously served as an AQAP military leader in Aden and remained responsible for planning and conducting terrorist attacks against Yemeni and coalition forces. Al-Adani maintained a significant influence within AQAP as well as close ties to other AQAP senior leaders.
The Shabwah offensive has forced AQAP to consolidate within the northern and eastern portions of the Abyan and eastern Al-Bayda Governorates respectively.
The removal of key AQAP leaders and associates in this region will further degrade AQAP’s freedom of movement and operation, limiting their ability to challenge Yemeni security forces and coalition advances.
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