The White House confirmed on Tuesday that Nasir al-Wahishi, head of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was killed in Yemen.
“Wahishi’s death strikes a major blow to” al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al Qaeda’s “most dangerous affiliate,” said a statement from National Security Council spokesman Ned Price. Wahishi was also a lieutenant to al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
That statement did not confirm whether Wahishi’s death was the result of a U.S. drone strike, or by some other means. The Department of Defense also declined to explain his death, or which U.S. agency might have been responsible for the attack, if it was the result of a U.S. action.
Still, Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren used the successful attack to argue that despite recent setbacks in Iraq in Ramadi, and despite the departure of U.S. Marines from Yemen, the military still has a global reach. “We remain committed to killing this enemy,” he said.
Al Qaeda confirmed al-Wuhayshi’s death early Tuesday and announced he would be replaced by Qasm al-Rimi, al Qaeda’s military leader. Warren said that Rimi’s promotion just means he is now at the top of the military’s target list.
“He will now have to live in even more fear,” Warren said. “We will find him and kill him.”
“Wahishi was responsible for the deaths of innocent Yemenis and Westerners, including Americans, but — through the concerted efforts of our counterterrorism professionals — we were able to thwart many of his attack plans,” the White House statement said.
“The president has been clear that terrorists who threaten the United States will not find safe haven in any corner of the globe … Wahishi’s death removes from the battlefield an experienced terrorist leader and brings us closer to degrading and ultimately defeating these groups,” the White House said.
