Sa'ad bin Atef al-Awlaki () also known by the alias Abu Al-Laith, is a Yemeni militant and the current

emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ( or : Tanẓīm Qā‘idat al-Jihād fī Jazīrat al-‘Arab, . Organization of Jihad's Base in the Arabian Peninsula), or AQAP is a Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamic extremism, Islamist militant organization which s ...

, succeeding

Khalid Batarfi Khalid Saeed Batarfi (; 1978 to 1980 – 2024), also known as Abū al-Miqdād al-Kindī (), was a Saudi militant and the emir of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. He oversaw the Yemen-based group's media network and led jihadist fighters in the ...

Life

Al-Awlaki was born in Al-Shu'bah in Wadi Yasbam in the Al-Saeed District in

Shabwa Governorate Shabwah () is a governorate (province) of Yemen. Its main town is Ataq. It was named after the ancient south Arabian city of Shabwa. During the Yemeni Civil War in 2015, the province became a battleground. The battle, known as the Shabwah Camp ...

from the al-Awlaki tribe in either 1978, 1981, or 1983. Before his leadership of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, he was a member of AQAP's

shura council In Arab culture, a Majlis-ash-Shura (; Shura Council in English) is an advisory council or consultative council. In Islamic context, the Majlis-ash-Shura is one of two ways that a khalifa (Islamic leader) may be selected, the other way being b ...

. The Yemeni military falsely claimed to have killed al-Awlaki on 7 May 2014, during their offensive in southern Yemen. After the death of

, al-Awlaki was appointed as the new leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula through AQAP's media group,

Al-Malahem Media Al-Malahem Media (AMM) () is the media wing of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Located in Yemen, AMM uploads audio messages, online magazines and video series in Arabic, English, and French. AMM publishes multiple magazines, them being ''Sada ...

, on March 11, 2024, which involved a statement reading by Abu Khubaib al-Sudani. Before al-Awlaki officially led the group, throughout 2019 till the death of Batarfi, he and al-Awlaki both led conflicting sectors of AQAP. According to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, this conflict was due to Batarfi's disliking for Southern Yemeni tribes and al-Awlaki's support for them. The United States program,

Rewards for Justice Rewards for Justice Program (RFJ) is United States Department of State's national security interagency program that offers reward for information leading to the location or an arrest of leaders of terrorist groups, financiers of terrorism, inclu ...

, put a

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...

$6 million bounty on al-Awlaki.

References

{{Al-Qaeda 20th-century births Living people Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Al-Qaeda leaders Yemeni Islamists 21st-century Yemeni people Yemeni al-Qaeda members People from Shabwah Governorate People of Yemeni descent Rewards for Justice