Khalid Batarfi

Khalid Saeed Batarfi
خالد سعيد باطرفي
Batarfi appearing in an AQAP video
BornBetween 1978 and 1980[1]
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia[2]
DiedMarch 2024 (aged 43–46)
Yemen
NationalitySaudi Arabian
Other namesAbū al-Miqdād al-Kindī, Abū al-Miqdād al-Kanadī
Known forEmir of AQAP
Military career
Allegiance AQAP
(2010–2024)
Years of service2010–2024
RankSupreme commander (Emir) of Abyan
(2010–2011)

Field commander in Hadramaut
(2015–2020)

Emir of AQAP
(2020–2024)
Battles / warsYemen Insurgency

Yemeni Civil War

Khalid Saeed Batarfi (Arabic: خالد سعيد باطرفي, romanized: Khālid Saʿīd Bāṭarfī; 1978 to 1980 – March 2024), also known as Abū al-Miqdād al-Kindī (Arabic: أبو المقداد الكِنْدِي),[3] was a Saudi Arabian militant and the emir of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.[4] He oversaw the Yemen-based group's media network[5] and led jihadist fighters in their takeover of Yemen's Abyan Governorate in 2011, where he was accorded the position of emir.[6][7] He also reputedly carried out terrorist attacks in the Abyan and Hadhramaut governorates.[5]

On 17 March 2011, Batarfi was captured by security forces in the Taiz Governorate.[5] For four years, he was imprisoned in Mukalla. He was freed, along with about 300 other inmates, by al Qaeda fighters on 2 April 2015, during the Battle of Mukalla.[4][7][8] The Washington Post compared the Mukalla prison break to the escape of 23 fighters, including future AQAP emir Nasir al-Wuhayshi, from a Yemeni prison in 2006, a formative event for the group.[9]

Batarfi attracted media attention when he posed for photographs taken by al Qaeda members in the Hadhramaut governor's palace, which fighters took over.[7][10]

Batarfi was promoted to leader after the death of Qasim al-Raymi in January 2020.[11] In February 2021, the United Nations claimed that Batarfi was arrested during a security operation in Al Ghaydah in October 2020.[12] However, Batarfi later appeared in a video discussing the 6 January 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.[13]

The U.S. Rewards for Justice Program offered up to $5 million in exchange for information leading to Batarfi's apprehension.[1]

AQAP announced Batarfi's death on 10 March 2024 and announced Sa'ad bin Atef al-Awlaki as his successor. It did not give a cause of a death for Batarfi.[14] It is speculated that he died from natural causes.

  1. ^ a b "Khalid Saeed al-Batarfi". Rewards for Justice. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018.
  2. ^ "Counter Terrorism Designations". United States Department of the Treasury. 23 January 2018. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018.
  3. ^ Fighting Back: What Governments Can Do About Terrorism edited by Paul Shemella
  4. ^ a b "Officials: Al Qaeda fighters free 270 from Yemeni prison". CNN. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  5. ^ a b c "Three militants, three soldiers killed in Yemen". CNN. 17 March 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  6. ^ "Amid Yemen chaos, al Qaeda stages prison break". CBS News. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  7. ^ a b c Spencer, Richard (4 April 2015). "The al-Qaeda commander at home in a governor's palace". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  8. ^ Bacchi, Umberto (2 April 2015). "Yemen: Al-Qaeda frees 300 in al-Mukalla prison attack". International Business Times. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  9. ^ Miller, Greg (5 April 2015). "Al-Qaeda franchise in Yemen exploits chaos to rebuild, officials say". Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  10. ^ Bacchi, Umberto (4 April 2015). "Yemen: Al-Qaeda operative Khalid Batarfi takes selfies inside Mukalla government". International Business Times. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  11. ^ "AQAP confirms death of leader, appoints successor: SITE". Yahoo!. 23 February 2020.
  12. ^ "Al Qaeda's leader in Yemen under arrest, UN report reveals". CNN. 4 February 2021.
  13. ^ "AQAP leader cites U.S. Capitol riot as evidence of America's supposed decline | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. 10 February 2021.
  14. ^ "Al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula announces death of leader, SITE Group says". Retrieved 5 April 2024.