Overview

• Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) announced the death of its leader, Khaled Batarfi, without specifying the cause.
• Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki, with a $6 million bounty on his head by the U.S., has been named the new leader of AQAP.
• Batarfi, once considered a key figure in AQAP, was in his 40s at the time of his death.
• Under Batarfi's leadership, AQAP continued to target U.S. interests and was involved in several high-profile attacks.
• The announcement of Batarfi's death comes on the eve of Ramadan, adding significance to the timing of the news.