Al Qaeda’s Deputy General Manager Killed in US Drone Strike
KABUL: (Middle East Press) Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a regional branch of al Qaeda’s global network, has confirmed that a top official named Nasser bin Ali al Ansi was killed in a US drone strike in April.
The Long War Journal previously reported that al Ansi was not only a senior AQAP official, but also served as one of al Qaeda’s global deputy general managers, giving him responsibilities far outside of Yemen.
This identification was based, in large part, on declassified documents recovered in Osama bin Laden’s compound.
Al Ansi served directly under al Qaeda’s upper echelon throughout his lengthy career. According to a translation by the SITE Intelligence Group, Al Ansi was one of Osama bin Laden’s “special ones.”
Al Ansi “took courage and wisdom from” bin Laden, “as well as the “jurisprudence” of jihad, movement, and the call.”
