1122: US again underestimates al Qaeda, while Batarfi may be in Saudi. @thomasjoscelyn, @FDD; @billroggio, @Long War Journal @FDD
Image: Arab fighter Tom Joscelyn, @thomasjoscelyn, Long War Journal and @FDD; and Bill Roggio, @billroggio, @Long War Journal and @FDD; podcast: Generation Jihad, @LongWarJournal; in re:For years we’ve documented al Qaeda in Afghanistan, while US administrations have [seriously] underestimating it, pretending that it was at death’s door for years. Twenty years after the US [invasion], al Q is still very much there, and closely allied with Taliban. For the US to extricate itself, al Q can’t be there strongly, so US has tried to de-link al Qaeda and Taliban—but a UN report says the ties are strong. AQAP: Khalid Batarfi, was head of al Q n Yemen. Lived and fought in Afghanistan. Is both an ideologue and an operative. An unlikely report says he was captured and handed to the Saudis. https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2021/02/aqap-leader-reportedly-captured.php